Stuff of Legend
by SciFiFanForever
Summary: This is a story of Ten and Rose set between 'The Satan Pit' and 'Love and Monsters'. I got the idea when I read an article about an archaeological find in Chester, and wondered if the Doctor had ever been there.
1. Chapter 1

Stuff of Legend

Chapter One

"Ah! Entering clear space. End of the line. Mission closed," the Doctor announced over the comm-link.

He was still in his orange space suit, adjusting the controls to materialize the TARDIS inside the cargo hold of the escape rocket, having just pulled it from the event horizon of the black hole.

Well, not really pulled as such, it was more of a falling towards the TARDIS. A conical gravity distortion was produced behind the TARDIS and the escape rocket was falling into the well at the same velocity that the TARDIS was moving away.

Ida Scott, Krop Tor base science officer, was in the med-bay connected to the hyperbaric oxygen. She had been hypoxic when the Doctor had found her, her suit oxygen exhausted. But the scans showed there was no permanent brain damage. Her memory would be a little 'fuzzy' about the events that had occurred in the mine shaft.

Danny Bartock, the ethics committee representative, had shown Rose down to the small cargo bay where the TARDIS just managed to squeeze in between a large drill bit and some other cutting tools.

She gave him a peck on the cheek and said goodbye before running into the TARDIS and up the ramp into the arms of her... What...? Friend? He was more than that. Companion then? No, that sounded very Victorian and prudish (She'd seen the way he looked at her when he thought she wasn't looking). A suitor maybe? She wasn't sure exactly what a suitor was, but it felt right.

He lifted her off the floor in a long, giggling, sighing hug.

Ida had been returned to the cockpit of the escape rocket and was sat in her jump seat. Zach Cross Flane, the acting captain and Danny, were asking her about the events down in the pit and her journey in the TARDIS.

"I don't know. I can't remember," she told them.

"Well, it looked like a box," Danny said when Zach asked about the Doctor's ship.

"What do you mean a box?" he asked in confusion.

Danny shrugged his shoulders. "Well, down in the hold. A big blue box. It just appeared. I don't know."

The Doctor's voice came over the comm-link. "Zach? We'll be off, now. Have a good trip home. And the next time you get curious about something... Oh, what's the point? You'll just go blundering in. The human race," he said with a 'tut' in his voice.

Ida was desperately trying to remember what had happened. "But Doctor, what did you find down there? That creature, what was it?"

The Doctor looked at Rose. "I don't know. Never did decipher that writing. But that's good, Day I know everything? Might as well stop." He closed the comm-link for a moment.

"What do you think it was, really?" Rose asked him. She was worried. If he didn't know what it was…? Well, there was no telling what could have happened.

"I think we beat it. That's good enough for me." He tried to sound upbeat to lift the mood.

"It said I was going to die in battle," she told him, not sure if it was telling the truth or just trying to scare her. If it was the latter, then it had succeeded.

"Then it lied," he told her with conviction. She was not going to die in battle. Not on his watch. He opened the comm-link again. "Right, onwards, upwards. Ida? See you again, maybe."

"I hope so." Ida's voice came back over the speaker.

"And thanks, boys!" Rose shouted back.

"Hang on though, Doctor," Ida called. "You never really said. You two, who are you?"

Rose looked at him. 'Good question' she thought, 'who are we?'

He could see the question in her eyes. In Habitation 3, when they had lost the TARDIS, they had talked of living a life, perhaps together.

"I don't know. Find a planet, get a job, live a life, same as the rest of the universe," she had said.

He'd have had to settle down. Get a house or something. A proper house with, with doors and things. Carpets. Him, living in a house. Now that; that would have been terrifying for him.

And Rose had told him he'd have to get a mortgage. He didn't know if he could live like that. But then Rose had selflessly offered him a life. Her life.

"What about me? I'd have to get one, too. I don't know, could be the same one. We could both, I don't know, share. Or not, you know. Whatever. I don't know. We'll sort something out," she had told him.

He'd promised Jackie that he'd always take her back home. "Everyone leaves home in the end." Rose had said, but not to end up stuck here.

And then Rose had said it. "Yeah, but stuck with you, that's not so bad."

He gave her one of his special smiles and answered Ida's question.

"Oh, the stuff of legend," he said and closed the comm-link.

'I can live with that' she thought. 'The stuff of legend'. That held a promise of things to come. Conversations to be had, wishes to be fulfilled, actions to be taken. Yes! She could live with that... For now.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter Two

The time rotor pumped up and down as the TARDIS travelled through the vortex. The Doctor was lying on his back under the console, 'tinkering'. His jacket was folded on the console and his shirt sleeves were rolled up, showing off his hairy forearms.

Rose was sat curled up on one of the jump seats reading a book she had found in the library. She glanced up and watched him 'tinkering'. She smiled at the sight of him lying there. She wasn't sure if the TARDIS needed all this 'tinkering' but he just couldn't seem to help himself. He just loved to 'tinker' with things.

He glanced in her direction and caught her looking at him. She blushed and quickly looked back at the pages of the book, trying to pretend that they were infinitely more interesting than he was.

He grinned and pulled himself from under the console. "Where do you want to go next then?" he asked her, running a hand through his dishevelled hair.

"What...? Oh." She pretended to have just noticed that he was in the room. "I don't know. Where and when haven't we been before?" she asked him.

"Y'know, I really don't know," he told her. "That Krop Tor thing has thrown me a bit; I'm still a bit spooked by it."

Rose uncurled herself and put the book down. She walked over and slid her hand into his. "Hey, it all worked out alright in the end," she reassured him.

"Yeah, but it very nearly didn't." He had a concerned look on his face. "I destroyed the energy field holding the planet in place before I knew the TARDIS was there! I had condemned us all to that horrible fate," he confessed to her.

"Oh come here you." Rose pulled him into a hug. "You did what had to be done," she whispered into his ear. "I trust you... Always have, always will." With that she released the hug and without thinking, almost gave him a kiss on the lips. She hesitated and kissed him lovingly on the cheek.

"Tell you what, let's go to someplace where I can dress up," she said with a beaming smile. "D'ya remember meetin' Charles Dickens? I loved getting into costume, and if I remember right, you paid me a compliment," she said with a giggle.

His dark mood was suddenly forgotten, filed away in that superior Time Lord brain of his. "Okay. Here's a first. Let's get the TARDIS to make the choice. She usually does anyway!" he said with a glance up at the rotor.

The lights flickered in a 'huffy' sort of way. The Doctor rolled down his sleeves and put his jacket on.

"Right then Rose, come over here and you can set the coordinates," he said holding out his hand. She rushed over, took his hand and hugged his arm all excited.

"What? I get to fly the TARDIS?" she said disbelieving.

"Welllll, sort of. You're going to select the 'where' and 'when' and I'll do the flyin'." Rose squealed with delight and clapped her hands together.

He grinned at her. That was so cute. "Okay. See that dial? Turn it clockwise and anticlockwise about, oh, let's say five times and let it come to rest somewhere in the middle."

Rose did as he said and looked up at him with expectant eyes. "What's next?"

"Grab that graduated lever and move it up and down, say, five times and let it come to rest somewhere in the green zone," he instructed. They did this with a few more controls until the time and space coordinates were set and no paradox warnings were visible.

"Right then, here goes, grab your ears and grab your nose, where we end up, nobody knows." He engaged the drive with his usual flourish as Rose collapsed in fits of laughter. The level of wheezing changed as the TARDIS made its way through the vortex and into normal space.

The rotor stopped and the Doctor took the systems off-line. They both went over to the view screen which was suspended over the console.

"Where are we then?" Rose asked as he examined the readouts.

"Oh, this is great!" he said with enthusiasm. "Early 6th century England. The last time I was in this period, I had white curly hair, wore frilly shirts and a velvet jacket," he announced quite matter of fact.

Rose snorted a laugh. "You're kiddin', right? You used to dress like Laurence Llewellyn-Bowen? You must have had a great sense of humour." Rose howled with laughter.

The Doctor looked hurt. "Actually, I was quite a serious fellow and a bit of a sour-puss, but Sarah Jane didn't seem to mind. She thought I looked quite 'dapper'. In fact, it was this time period where we had our first adventure." He had a faraway look in his eyes as he remembered.

Rose wiped her eyes with her fingers. "So come on then. Are you gonna tell me where we are?"

His eyes went wide in amazement; he put his hand over his mouth. "Oh Rose! This is brilliant!" He gave a little giggle and grinned at her. "No, really. Absolutely brilliant! The stuff of legend."

"What?" she laughed. "Where are we?" She was getting excited as she picked up on his emotion.

He quickly went into lecturing mode. "We are on Earth. 510 A.D. 21st of June. It's a Monday. We are in the City of Legions, also known as Chester, and this is the really cool bit, outside of those doors..." He pointed at the wooden doors of the TARDIS.

"What? What? Tell me. Where are we?" she squealed.

He waggled his eyebrows and grinned. "The courtyard of Camelot castle. The home of the legendary King Arthur!"

Rose's mouth fell open, her eyes like saucers. "No! You are kiddin' me."


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter Three

"Camelot! Really? I thought King Arthur was a myth," Rose said.

The Doctor smiled at her. "And what do we say about myths Rose Tyler?"

She looked up and smiled back at him. "Most myths have a grain of truth in them?" she said tentatively.

"Exactly! You're thinking of 'Historia Regum Britanniae' by that old rogue Geoffrey of Monmouth. He made the whole thing up. Never was one for letting the facts get in the way of a good story. Actually you'd have liked him. Reminds me of Jack Harkness."

"And isn't Camelot supposed to be in Cornwall? Tintagel?" she said, recalling the stories that she thought she knew.

"Now you're getting your myths, your legends and your history mixed up," he told her.

"Oh, silly me," she said, rolling her eyes.

"This time period wasn't well recorded due to the Saxon invasions and the loss of Roman rule. There's no Sir Lancelot, no Holy Grail quests, just a brilliant king trying to unite a kingdom. So c'mon Rose Tyler, let's go and play dressing up." He grabbed her hand and they headed up the spiral staircase to the wardrobe.

For the Doctor, it was quite easy to pick a simple green robe with a hood that he could wear over his brown suit, along with a broad leather belt.

He was first back to the console room and set about scanning the castle and familiarising himself with the floor plan.

"Well?" He heard the simple question from the doorway and turned around to look at Rose. His breath caught in his chest. There, standing in front of him was a vision from a Robin Hood film or something similar.

She wore a simple, pale blue shift dress which hugged her figure in all the right places. A low square collar gave a hint of her cleavage and a broad leather belt hung on her hips, accentuating her narrow waist. She had braided her hair along her temples and behind her ears ending in small ponytails behind each ear. She had a white linen scarf on her head that fell across her shoulders, held in place with a silver headband which sat on her head like a small crown.

"What'cha think?" she asked him. He just stood there, opening and closing his mouth like a goldfish, lost for words.

"I, er... You, er... Blimey!" is all he could manage. Rose gave him that special smile, the one with her tongue just poking between her teeth.

'Yep. Still got it' she thought to herself.

"Y'know, me and Shereen used to love dressin' up when we were kids. Never thought I'd still be doin' it as an adult," she giggled.

"R-R-Rose? You know when I had big ears and wore a leather jacket?" he started to ask.

"Yeah?" Rose replied cautiously.

"I was an idiot! I can feel another compliment coming on, a real one this time. Rose Tyler, you look stunning. You really are beautiful."

Rose blushed and looked down at her hands. "Why thank you my lord. Thou art too kind." She looked back up at him, still smiling.

The Doctor snorted a laugh. "Well that's an improvement on your Scottish," he laughed.

He held out his hand for her and together they headed for the door.

The first thing Rose noticed when she stepped out of the TARDIS was the stink! The TARDIS had materialised in one corner of the outer bailey, under a wooden lean-to. It appeared to be a makeshift stable and they were surrounded by sheep, goats and chickens.

Rose hitched up her dress and picked her way past the animals and their droppings, over the straw and onto the flagstones. The Doctor smiled to himself when he saw that she had kept her trainers on, ready to run.

She wrinkled her nose as she looked around and took in the view.

To the left of the TARDIS was the barbican with the main arched passageway, complete with a raised portcullis and a drawbridge over a moat. Each corner of the octagonal castle wall had a round tower with a wooden door at the base which allowed access to the spiral staircase that led to the battlement walkways on top of the walls.

Directly opposite them were the walls of the inner bailey and the passageway to the keep. Through the open doors, Rose could just make out the manicured gardens in front of the great hall. The outer bailey was similar to a small market town with traders setting up stalls and carts, selling a bewildering array of goods.

The Doctor looked at Rose with a raised, questioning eyebrow as she snorted a laugh. "I was just thinkin' that after one and a half millennia, we still have car-boot sales. And then I thought that they'd be called cart-boot sales." She cracked up at her own play on words.

"Greetings sire. Yonder maiden seems amused this fine morning." A tall, handsome young man was smiling at them. The Doctor suspected from his clothing that he was a knight.

Rose waved her hand in front of her mouth in an attempt to stop the giggles. "Ooh, I'm sorry, I just had a funny thought," Rose said. What came out of her mouth was, "Pray forgive me kind sir. An amusing thought came unbidden to my mind," Rose looked up at the Doctor with an amazed expression. Had she really just spoken like she was in a Shakespearean play?

The Doctor bowed slightly. "Greetings sire. It is indeed a fine morning." The Doctor held out his hand in greeting. "I am Doctor of Tardis, a Lord of Gallifrey, and this is the fair Lady Rose of the estate of Powell in London. We have travelled from... Shrewsbury to visit this fine castle."

The stranger shook the Doctor's hand firmly, and then took Rose's hand and kissed it in a very gallant fashion. Rose blushed slightly at the appreciative gaze of the handsome stranger and felt herself giving a small curtsey.

"My name is Patrice, and a more beautiful rose I have never seen," he said, flashing his brilliant white teeth.

"Sir Patrice?" the Doctor asked. "One of the King's knights?"

"The very same. You have heard of me?" he said with a hint of pride in his voice.

"Who has not heard of King Arthur and his knights of the round table? Trust me, the stories of your courage and deeds will be told for centuries to come." The Doctor grinned and held out his arm for Rose. "Come Rose; let us explore this fine castle. Good day to you Sir Patrice, mayhap our paths shall cross again."

"I look forward to it," he said, winking at Rose and making her blush again.

They walked towards the 'cart-boot' market arm-in-arm.

"Doctor? How come I'm talkin' like I'm in a Shakespeare play?" she asked him.

"It's the TARDIS; she's translating your English into Olde English. Normally you don't hear the words if it's a foreign language, but in this case it's..., Well..., English," he said with a shrug.

"Forsooth!" is definitely not what she said.

They wandered through the stalls examining the goods on offer and chatting to people. On any planet, in any time period, this is what they enjoyed the most, interacting with the locals.

The Doctor had spotted that one of the locals had body language that was 'off'. He couldn't quite put his finger on it, but he would spot him watching them as they browsed the market.

The morning sun had risen above the outer walls of the castle and the marketplace was now bathed in sunlight. As the air temperature increased, so did the smell from animal and human alike.

"Pheww! It's gettin' a bit ripe around here," Rose said quietly to the Doctor.

He grinned at her. "All part of the experience my dear. You don't get this at the movies, do you?"

"You'd never get anyone in the theatre if it smelled like this," she laughed.

The Doctor spotted the mysterious stranger again. He was leaning against the wall by the doorway to the keep. His arms were crossed and one ankle was crossed in front of the other, in a very 'boy-from-the-Powell-estate' sort of fashion.

The Doctor turned to face Rose with his back to the suspicious stranger. "Casually look past my shoulder," he told her. "See the guy who looks like he should be wearing 'bling' and listening to a ghetto-blaster?"

Rose looked at the stall to her left and saw a polished metal platter. She picked it up to examine it, angling it so that she could see the door of the keep.

"I see him. What's the problem?" she asked.

"Don't know. But he's been watching us, and his body language doesn't quite fit."

Just then, the echoey sound of recorders and lute came from the keep. A troupe of minstrels in brightly coloured clothes entered the courtyard playing a simple melody that Rose couldn't resist tapping her foot to.

They stood and watched the minstrel's parade through the marketplace as people clapped and swayed to the rhythm. The music was suddenly drowned out by a fanfare of horns on the battlements.

"The King!" someone shouted.

"The King has returned!" someone else called out.

The minstrels continued playing and headed to the main gate of the barbican, where they turned around and danced toward the keep. A corridor of bodies formed to await the passage of their King.

The clip-clop of hooves echoed through the entrance tunnel and a large, black horse entered the courtyard. Mounted on the horse was a large, impressive, middle aged man. He exuded charisma and authority. There was no doubt that this man was the King.

He wore a colourful padded gambeson under a ring mail vest. He cradled a helmet under his left arm, holding the reins in his right hand. Behind him followed his retinue of equally impressive knights on horseback.

King Arthur looked left and right, smiling at his citizens, seeing awe and respect on their faces. Except for two.

A tall man with impossibly unruly hair, and a young maiden who hung on his arm with great affection, were positively beaming excitement. His head rotated as he went passed so that he could continue to observe them.

The Doctor leaned down to speak to Rose. "There he is Rose. Arthur Pendragon, King of the Britons. Now tell me he's a myth."

Rose's smile was positively beaming. "This is fantastic. He's really handsome," she said, winking at the Doctor playfully. "Who are the other guys?" she asked him.

"Those are some of his knights. Oh, see the guy with one hand directly behind the King? That's Bedivere, the Kings marshal. So the guy next to him is probably Sir Kay, his best mate. The other three I don't know, I'd need to see their coat-of-arms," he informed her.

"That Bedivere's fit!" Rose said. "I bet Captain Jack would like to be his mate," she mused with a wicked grin.

As the entourage went passed the Doctor spotted the King's sword. "Rose! Look! Hanging from his belt! The King's sword!"

"Is that Excalibur?" she asked in awe. "The magical sword?" She noticed that his enthusiasm had turned to concern.

"Rose, there's no such thing as magic, only misunderstood technology," he whispered, almost to himself. "Do you see the intricate pattern on the scabbard?" he asked. Rose nodded as he continued. "It's Tezzarian, an alien language, which means that sword is off-world technology."

Rose's mouth fell open. "No way!" she exclaimed. "You mean we've landed in the middle of an adventure...? Brilliant!"

In the darkened passageway of the keep entrance, a local man, with odd body language was holding an open book, paying a great deal of attention to the King's sword."


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter Four

"C'mon Rose, we've got work to do." He held out his hand and waggled his eyebrows. She grinned and took his hand, ready for their next adventure.

"Where we goin'?" she asked.

"We're going to find Patrice so that you can flirt with him."

"WHAT!?" Rose pulled him to a standstill, unable to believe what she had just heard. There were times when this man was impossible.

The Doctor was nonplussed and started counting off on his fingers.

"1. We have to get to the King so I can examine that sword. 2. Patrice is one of his trusted knights. 3. Patrice fancies you. (He gave her one of his cheeky smiles). 4. If you ask him nicely, I'm sure he'd introduce us to the King, unless you can think of another way to get into the Great Hall?"

Rose was fuming. "What kind of girl do you think I am?" she asked him indignantly.

"I know exactly what kind of girl you are. You are Rose, Marion, Tyler. The extraordinary girl from Earth. Who has courage and compassion in equal measure. Who decided to take the hand of a Time Lord and run through all of time and space." The sincerity on his face and in his voice made her knees go weak. He had spoken to her soul and her soul had listened.

She suddenly realised that time had passed when she came back with a shudder. "Well, I suppose when you put it like that, I am pretty good at flirting," she said with a cheeky smile.

"That's my girl," he said with a smile, holding out his hand again. They set off towards the keep, hand-in-hand.

The double doors of the keep entrance opened inwards and a guard stood at each hinge. Peasants and commoners knew they were not allowed into the inner bailey unless summoned or on the King's errand.

Fortunately, the Doctor's and Rose's costumes were of nobility, and they could quite rightly claim that status having been knighted by Queen Victoria herself. They approached the nearest guard.

"Is it permitted to enter the King's gardens?" the Doctor asked. "Lady Rose is somewhat overcome by the odours of the market."

"And thou art?" the guard asked, without any malice or threat in his voice.

"Sir Doctor of Tardis, Lord of Gallifrey. We seek our friend, Sir Patrice."

The guard relaxed a little and smiled. "I saw Sir Patrice not 10 minutes previously, speaking with Sir Kay at the entrance to the Great Hall."

"Many thanks..., I don't know your name," the Doctor said.

The guard was in awe. A nobleman had never asked for his name before. He stood proudly to attention. "Cedric sir, Cedric Treuddyn."

The Doctor smiled at him. "Very good Cedric, carry on. I can see the security of the castle is in good hands."

The guard nearly exploded with pride on the spot. "Yes Sir. Thank you Sir."

Rose hung on the Doctor's arm as they entered the inner bailey. "That was so sweet of you. I think you've made his day, his month and his year," she said, smiling up at him warmly.

The inner walls matched the octagonal layout of the outer walls, with turrets at each corner. To the left of the keep were the King's stables, were grooms tended to the recently returned horses. Various stone buildings were built into the inner walls, which the Doctor presumed were stores, armouries and the like.

Opposite and to the right of the keep entrance was the large, round building of the Great Hall. It was three stories tall and dominated the inner bailey.

In contrast to the hustle and bustle of the marketplace outside, the inner bailey was tranquil and serene. The lawns were immaculate; the flower beds were a beautiful blend of both bright and subtle colours.

And the smell! The scent of roses, lavender and honeysuckle filled the air.

And the sounds! Birds whistled and warbled among the various fruit trees and the buzz of the occasional bumblebee could be heard in the warm, still air.

"Oh this place is just beautiful," Rose said as she took in a deep breath and exhaled slowly.

"Yes, it's a sanctuary from the savagery of battle. The knights can come here and find solace," the Doctor told her. "And companionship," he said with an eyebrow waggle and a nod to a bench seat against the wall.

Rose looked and saw a knight holding the hand of a young woman. From the looks they gave each other, they were obviously courting.

They wandered in silence through the gardens, just enjoying the surroundings and their own company. They were now in the centre of the inner bailey when they saw a familiar figure exit the Great Hall through the large double doors and enter the gardens.

"Patrice!" The Doctor called. "May we speak with you?"

"Doctor! Lady Rose, art thou enjoying the delights of Camelot?" Patrice said as he strode towards them.

Rose gave him one of her winning smiles and fluttered her eyelids as he approached. "Indeed Sir. These gardens are exquisite. So peaceful and tranquil."

Patrice took her hand and kissed it, a little longer than before, and then continued to hold it as they spoke.

"We saw the King's return earlier. A hunting trip was it?" the Doctor asked innocently.

"Er, yes, verily. The King doth enjoy hunting at dawn," Patrice replied.

"Mayhap he will have better fortune on the morrow," the Doctor suggested.

"Pardon?" Patrice had a puzzled look on his face.

"I saw no deer or boar across the saddles. I presumed that the hunt was unsuccessful."

"Ah, yes. Thou art a most observant man Doctor." Patrice had been caught off guard.

Rose spotted this and attempted to strike up a conversation with Patrice.

"So, pray tell Sir Patrice, I wouldst love to know how thou came to be here at Camelot," she said.

"Lady Rose, thou dost not have to call me Sir, pray call me Patrice."

"And my name is Rose," she told him.

He offered his hand, palm down and Rose put hers on top of his, curling her fingers under his palm as she had seen in period dramas on television.

They wandered around the gardens, as Patrice told his story.

As they passed the stables, the Doctor excused himself, telling them he had to speak with someone. He walked over to the stable where a groom was tending to the King's horse.

He nodded to the groom. "May I greet this fine and noble beast?" he asked.

The groom smiled and nodded. "He is indeed a fine horse."

The Doctor placed his hand on the horse's forehead and made some odd breathing and grunting noises. The groom tried unsuccessfully to suppress a laugh. To his surprise though, the horse responded with snorts and whinnies.

{Greetings. I am the Doctor, last of the Time Lords of Gallifrey.}

{Greetings Time Lord. I am Lightning's Shadow, Herd Leader.}

{The King was out hunting early today and with little success I noticed.}

{And yet we passed many deer and boar on the way.}

{Mmmm. I wonder what he was hunting then. Thank you Lightning's Shadow, you have been most helpful.}

The rest of the stable lads had stopped their grooming to watch the Doctor, tittering amongst themselves. He turned to look at them and grinned at them. Lightning's Shadow snorted and snickered.

"Peter isn't it?" the Doctor said to the groom. "Lightning's Shadow tells me you are a fine and attentive groom. He is pleased with your services."

The groom looked at the Doctor with suspicion. "How didst thou know my name?" he asked.

The Doctor nodded at the horse. "He told me," he said, matter-of-fact.

"Hah! His name is Hengroen, not Lightning's Shadow!" the groom said in a huff. The Doctor and Lightning's Shadow both laughed together.

"Do you know Hengroen translates as 'Old Skin' or more accurately as 'Old Shit'," he laughed. Lightning's Shadow snorted again. The groom now looked worried. "Worry not Peter, he enjoys the joke."

The Doctor turned to face Lightning's Shadow, held his arms out wide and bowed low from the waist. The grooms continued to titter and then suddenly gasped and fell silent as Lightning's Shadow put one leg forward and bowed to the Doctor.

As Rose and Patrice had been chatting, they had been watching the Doctor's antics. Rose had laughed when she saw him puffing and snorting at the King's horse. They both gasped when they bowed to each other.

"Lord Tardis is a most unusual man Rose. Are you and he... I mean, is he your guardian. A mentor perhaps..., Or are you betrothed?" Pat asked awkwardly.

"Oh Pat, thou hath no inkling," Rose said. "He is both guardian and mentor to me, and more. As to your last question..., 'tis complicated," she said wistfully.

The Doctor had re-joined the couple and walked close to Rose's side.

"Who'd ya think you are? The horse whisperer?" she whispered in his ear.

"Ooh, better than that. I don't just whisper, I have full blown conversations with them," he whispered back in all seriousness.

"You're kiddin'! And what did you talk about?" she asked, humouring him.

"Tell you later," he winked.

"Pat's told me about the round table where the King holds his court in the Great Hall. He's offered to introduce us to the King and show us the council chamber," Rose informed him.

'Oh good girl' the Doctor thought to himself. 'Pat? Already. Oh you are good'.

"Oh that would be splendid. Thank you... Pat. What a tale we shall have to tell when we return home," he said, genuinely excited to be seeing the round table.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter Five

The interior of the Great Hall was cool and dimly lit with candles on stands and hanging from chandeliers. Tapestries and paintings adorned the walls and strangely gave it a homely feel.

Lords, ladies, knights and servants were milling about, some leisurely and others with purpose. The servants were carrying a variety of platters containing bread, fruits and cooked meats. Others carried pitchers of mead and wine.

It was lunchtime at Camelot.

"Come my friends, let us retire to the dining hall," Patrice said, ushering them through a set of doors into a long room with an equally long table running down the centre. Along the far wall were a series of tables that held the platters that had been carried in by the servants. It looked like it was a running buffet where people helped themselves to anything that was on offer.

Patrice picked up some plates and offered one to Rose and the Doctor. They picked up forks and selected some slices of meat. They cut some cheese, spooned some pickles, and picked up some slices of bread.

"Oh my God, this tastes absolutely gorgeous Doctor," Rose said, sampling a slice of cheese and pickles on a slice of bread.

"Ah! There's the King and Queen now. Come, I'll introduce you," Patrice said as Arthur entered the dining hall.

"My Liege, m'Lady" he said as he approached the King. "Pray may I introduce my new acquaintances?" He turned and held out his arm as the Doctor and Rose approached.

Arthur had changed out of his armour and was now wearing black trousers, a white linen shirt and a black jacket. Guinevere wore an off-the-shoulder emerald green gown intricately embroidered with gold thread.

The King smiled as they approached. He recognised them from the marketplace when he had ridden past.

"Sir Doctor of Tardis, Lord of Gallifrey," Patrice announced.

The Doctor followed protocol and bowed low. "My Lord, my Lady. 'Tis an honour."

"And Lady Rose of the Powell estate," he continued.

Rose curtsied and shyly looked at the floor. "My Lord, my Lady" she said simply.

Arthur reached for her hand and put it to his lips. "My Lady. 'Tis always a pleasure when such a beautiful countenance adorns my home," he said with sincerity.

Rose blushed slightly as she looked into his eyes. "Why thank you Sire." Guinevere smiled at her. She knew how good her husband was at flirting. People skills were very important when you were a King.

"Come, sit with us while we have luncheon, you can tell me what brings you to Camelot." The Doctor and Rose grinned at each other as they headed for the table.

Arthur and Guinevere sat at the head of the table with the Doctor and Rose to the Kings right. Patrice sat next to Rose and other knights and lords sat at various positions at the table.

"We enjoy travelling and exploring," the Doctor was telling the King. "Meeting interesting people and having the odd adventure."

Arthur was biting into a tomato. "Mmmm. Your title is 'Lord of Gallifrey'; I don't believe I have come across that name before Doctor."

"An obscure island in the Aegean Sea, Sire. It produces fine scholars and people of learning," the Doctor told the gathering.

Guinevere placed her goblet on the table, having taken a sip of the fruity red wine. "And you Rose, you are from the Powell estate?"

"Yes m'lady, a small estate in the east of London," Rose replied, also sipping the delicious wine.

"I wager you have some tales to tell of your travels," Patrice said, smiling at Rose.

"Hah! Thou knowest only a fraction of the truth in that statement," Rose laughed.

"Pray tell, how didst thou two meet?" Guinevere asked with a warm smile. She could see that there was a fondness and devotion between them.

The Doctor and Rose smiled at each other, remembering the basement of Henrik's department store.

"'Twas in London," the Doctor began. "Rose was accosted by a band of vagabonds. I stepped in, took her hand and we ran to safety. We have been travelling together ever since."

Rose reached for his hand and gave it a squeeze.

"And you mentioned the odd adventure," Arthur said popping a slice of meat into his mouth. "Pray, regale us with a tale of daring do."

The Doctor began the tale of their latest adventure, the demon of Krop Tor.

"Krop Tor is a small, desolate island in the Baltic sea, off the coast of Estonia, with a deep opal mine that produces the finest gems," he began. "The miners tunnelled deeper than they should and released a demon that had been imprisoned there centuries before."

He adapted the tale to suit the medieval period. He described the characters and their role in the tale. He described Captain Zack, Ida, Toby and Danny, and the deaths of Scooti and Jefferson.

"While sending Rose to safety with the miners onboard their small boat, I descended into the depths of the mine with Ida as my guide, to face the beast." He stopped to drink mead from his tankard. He looked down the table and smiled, everyone was on the edge of their seat, hanging on his every word. When you didn't have radio, television or the internet, travellers tales were prime-time entertainment.

"I outwitted the beast and tricked it into sealing itself behind a rock fall; I barely escaped with my life." The diners breathed a sigh of relief.

"The beast however had outwitted me and had possessed the soul of Toby and was on the very ship that Rose was supposed to find safety!" People gasped.

"However, the beast was not prepared for Rose, who being pure of heart, saw the demon for what he was and wielding a crossbow was able to slay the beast." People cheered.

Rose took up the narrative, knowing not to mention aliens, spaceships or planets. "However, before the demon drew its last breath it called up a whirlpool that drew the small boat towards it and threatened to drown us all!" More gasps. "When all looked lost and as we fell into despair, the Doctors ship appeared, riding the current. A rope was cast and secured, and the weight of the Doctors ship pulled the small boat clear of the whirlpool." The assembled diners cheered and applauded, raising their glasses in a toast to the Doctor and Rose.

"Bravo Doctor, a splendid tale," Arthur said as he selected some grapes as a dessert. "If thou wouldst consent to join us this evening for dinner, we would be delighted to hear more of your adventures."

The Doctor ran his hand through his hair. "Welllll, I knowest not. We did not intend to dally for long." He gave a quick glance and a wink at Rose. Staying on is exactly what he was hoping for.

Guinevere spoke up. "Do not fret over your journey. Pray accept our offer of hospitality. We have rooms for guests and the servants will supply you with clothing for dinner."

"You are too kind m'lady. Of course we accept your offer of hospitality," the Doctor said with a nod and a smile.

Arthur clapped his hands together. "Splendid Doctor. Pray, feel free to explore Camelot at your leisure. If you or Rose require anything, the servants are at your disposal."

Everyone had finished eating and drinking, standing and bowing as Arthur and Guinevere rose from their chairs. They nodded in return as they left the dining hall.

The diners formed into small groups and cliques and chatted or discussed business. The Doctor and Rose strolled arm-in-arm towards the door, while various people approached and praised their exciting tale.

Patrice introduced them to Sir Gareth, Sir Kay, Sir Agravain and Sir Bedivere. They also met various merchants and craftsmen who were at Camelot by royal appointment.

"Patrice, do you recognise that fellow by the door? I feel that I should know him," the Doctor said, having spotted the mysterious stranger again.

Patrice looked to the door as the stranger, realising he'd been rumbled, started to leave.

"I believe he is with the retinue of King Mark of Cornwall who arrived two days previously," Patrice said.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter Six

The Doctor and Rose set off hand-in-hand to explore.

"C'mon constable Tyler, keep 'em peeled," he said with a grin. Rose almost squeaked with excitement. The Doctor was recalling the layout of the castle from the TARDIS scan, and could probably find his way around blindfold.

In the centre of the building they found the round court chamber, with the legendary table in the centre. The Doctor explained that it had originally been a Roman amphitheatre and the castle had been built on top of it.

Rose was overcome by the realisation of where she was. She leaned close to the Doctor and spoke in hushed tones. "I know we've been to distant worlds and far into the future and to distant pasts, but to be standin' in front of somethin' that's a myth or a legend and see that it's real, well, it's just..., amazin'." She stepped forward and touched the polished wood to make sure it was real.

The Doctor smiled at her. He loved to see things through her eyes, it made everything seem as though he was seeing it for the first time again. He took out his sonic screwdriver and scanned the room.

"Watcha lookin' for?" she asked him.

"Not really sure. Alien tech, unexpected energy spikes, stuff like that."

Rose suddenly remembered the Doctor's antics with the King's horse earlier. "Hey, you were going to tell me what all that was about with the horse," she said.

"Oh yes, Lightning's Shadow. He told me that the King rode past many deer and boar while he was out hunting. A bit strange don't you think?" he said with a raised eyebrow.

"Maybe the larder was full," she suggested.

"Orrr..., maybe they were hunting a specific something that didn't want to be found," he mused as his Gallifreyan brain ran ahead at high speed.

"You know the last time we met royalty and we ran into a mythical beast?" he asked her.

Rose grinned. "Queen Victoria and the werewolf. How could I forget? We got a knighthood out of that adventure," she said.

"Well, I'm not certain yet, but I think we may be meeting another mythical beast."

"Oh. What? Is it a unicorn?" she asked hopefully.

He gave a little giggle. "That is so 'My Little Pony' Rose Tyler. You're so cute at times."

"Shut up!" she said with a smile. "What is it then?"

"Think 'Saint George'," he told her.

"What?" she said. Then her jaw dropped. "No!? You mean a dragon?" Her words echoed around the chamber.

"Shhh," the Doctor breathed.

'A dragon', she mouthed silently, eyes wide.

"It's a strong possibility if I'm right. I'll tell the story tonight at dinner." He held out his hand and they set off to look for more clues.

They found the bottlery and kitchen, and chatted amiably to the staff, much to their surprise. Lords and ladies did not normally come into the kitchen, and they certainly didn't lower themselves to talk to the staff.

They walked along the minstrel's gallery which overlooked the dining room. The Doctor picked up a descant recorder off a music stand and gave it a 'toot'. He looked at Rose and waggled his eyebrows as he positioned his fingers over the holes.

He proceeded to play a piece of music from the score that was open on the stand. Rose was wide-eyed in amazement.

"I never knew you could play!" she said.

"In my second incarnation, I always had a recorder with me. It helped me think." He had a faraway look in his eyes as he remembered.

"What were you like back then?" Rose asked him. He rarely talked about himself, so when he did she was keen for him to continue.

"Well, I was..., me. It was my first regeneration so I was a bit disorientated to start with. Pudding basin haircut and a face like I was sucking a lemon all the time." Rose started to laugh.

"But I was pleasant enough and had some charming companions. No dress sense though! In fact it's only in these last two regenerations that I've developed any sense of style." He gave a shudder as he thought about some of the outfits he used to wear.

He had put down the recorder and picked up a lute, giving it a single strum.

"Do you play that as well?" Rose asked him, never having thought about him playing musical instruments before.

"Well, it has been a while," he said as he plucked each string checking its tuning. He started to pick out a tune. Rose started to laugh as she recognised the riff.

"Lay-la, you've got me on my knees. / Lay-la, I'm begging, darling please. / Lay-la, darling won't you ease my worried mind," she sang along with a grin. The Doctor was very good and played the riff with a Baroque flourish.

"Layla on a lute! That is so bizarre," she laughed as they left the gallery.

In a corridor that led to the main doors of the Great Hall, they saw a squire walking a wire haired wolfhound. At the shoulder it stood as high as the squire's waist.

"You there my good fellow!" the Doctor called after him. "May I speak with thou a while?"

The squire turned around and looked to see if the Doctor might be talking to someone else. "Me Sire? Of course," he smiled.

"What a magnificent hound you have there. What is his name?" the Doctor asked in a friendly voice as he and Rose approached.

"'Tis Cavall Sire, the King's favourite hound," he told them.

The Doctor held out the back of his fist and the dog sniffed and then licked his hand and sat down, looking into the Doctors eyes.

"Wouldst thou look at that!" the squire exclaimed. "He has taken to thee Sire, he normally ignores folk."

The Doctor leaned forwards and held the dogs ears and ruffled them, scratching behind his ears. Cavall leaned hard against his right hand, enjoying the sensation. The Doctor lowered his forehead against Cavall's and made a snuffling noise.

{Greetings Cavall, oh, that is your name isn't it?}

{It is the name given to me by my Master, yes}

{Oh good. I am the Doctor, and I was wondering if we could chat about what your eyes, your exceptional ears and your extraordinary nose have seen, heard and smelt recently}

{It is funny you should ask...} Cavall started.

The squire stood watching in amazement as the pair growled, snuffled and whined to each other.

Rose just rolled her eyes. "Not again," she said.

After a few minutes, the Doctor stood and held his fist out and gave a single bark. Cavall lifted a paw and placed it on the Doctor's fist and also gave a single bark.

The Doctor turned grinned at both of them. "Well that's that then," he said to Rose. "I think I now have most of the pieces of the puzzle. Many thanks Edmund, Cavall speaks very highly of you. However, he would appreciate more scratching behind the ear; he is particularly fond of that."

They left the speechless squire looking between them and the dog like he was watching a game of tennis.

They continued their exploration of the different floors of the castle, with many of the rooms set aside for guests. Arthur realised that if he wanted to unite the kingdoms against the invading Saxons, he needed to use Camelot as a residential conference centre where rulers could meet and get to know each other.

The King and Queen's Solar suite (a private sitting room), was off limits to visitors. The Doctor discretely scanned the hallway with his sonic and detected some unusual electromagnetic energy signatures. Probably from an off-world sword. He also detected some alien tech in another direction.

"Rose? Would you go down this hallway here and I'll meet you at the other end?" he asked her. "I'm going around this way."

"What are you up to?" she asked him suspiciously.

"You'll see," he said with a grin.

Rose strolled down the hallway, admiring the paintings and tapestries on the walls. She saw a figure turn the corner and then go back the way he had come. It was the man whose body language the Doctor had said didn't fit. She hurried to the end of the hallway and peeked around the corner and let out a 'hah'.

The Doctor was standing toe-to-toe with the stranger, giving him one of his triumphant grins.

"Not from around here, are you?" the Doctor said.

The stranger visibly relaxed and gave a single laugh. "No, and I reckon you two aren't either."

The Doctor held out his hand. "I'm the Doctor, and she's Rose," he nodded over the strangers shoulder.

As the stranger turned his head the Doctor held his grip on the handshake and lifted the sleeve of the man's jacket, revealing a leather bracer. The man's head snapped back to look at his wrist.

"Recognise this Rose?"

Rose approached and looked at the bracer. She popped the press stud and lifted the leather cover.

"A vortex manipulator, just like Captain Jack used to have," she said with surprise.

"Oh don't tell me you've met Jack Harkness," he said with despair in his voice. "How much did he take you for?"

"Oh, don't worry, I was on to Jack from the moment I met him. He was pretending to be what you are, a time agent." The Doctor took out his sonic and 'zapped' the gadget on the stranger's wrist.

"WHA'! What are you doing?" the stranger struggled and broke the Doctor's grip.

"I'm stopping you from causing a disaster by your good intentions." He turned to address Rose. "Y'know, my people used to keep these guys in check. Now they're gone, these time agents are popping up everywhere.

They mean well, but they don't see fixed points in time like I do." He had a distant, sad look in his eyes.

Rose reached out and held his hand. "What's the matter?" she asked him with concern.

"Back in 2001, when I had big ears and a leather jacket, I stopped a time agent from interfering in a terrorist attack." Rose put her hand to her mouth as she realised what he was talking about.

"I am responsible for 2,996 deaths." It was a statement of fact, not open for debate. "However, I am also responsible for saving millions. After the atrocity, governments around the world introduced new legislation to combat terrorism. Intelligence agencies started sharing information rather than keeping it to themselves."

He looked at the stranger as he finished his story. "What the time agent didn't know was that if that attack had been thwarted, the terrorists would have been enraged, their retribution unparalleled. The intelligence agencies wouldn't have spotted the missing enriched plutonium in Eastern Europe. They would have missed the fanatics sitting in hotel rooms in London, Washington, Paris, Berlin, Moscow and other capital cities, holding grapefruit sized chunks of plutonium."

He turned to look back at Rose, his eyes burning with unshed tears. "Do you know what happens when you spread your arms wide and then clap them together, holding enriched plutonium?" The stranger nodded and lowered his head. "You flatten an area in a two mile radius, creating a nuclear wasteland that is uninhabitable for thousands of years and condemn millions of people to a horrible death." He drew in a deep breath and regained his composure.

"So, Arthur's sword doesn't belong here. You come and take it away. At the battle of Mount Badon, 960 men are not killed by that sword and Arthur loses to the Saxons. The kingdoms of Northumbria, Mercia, Wessex, Essex, Sussex and Kent do not unite. William invades but does not conquer. There are no Tudors, no Stuarts. No culture of scientific discovery or invention. North America is divided up into separate countries by European explorers. There is no British Empire. No unified response to invading armies."

He smiled at Rose and held out his hand. "One small act on a fixed time-line." Rose took his hand and squeezed, knowing the significance of that act. "Can have a large cascade effect through time."

They turned to the stranger. "So that is why I have deactivated your vortex manipulator, er... I didn't catch your name."

"Lance, the names Lance Elliott," he said quietly as he realised he was now a permanent member of the sixth century.

Rose snorted a laugh, spotting the word play. "LanceElliott? Sir Lancelliott? You're kiddin' me."

"Oh Rose, this legend just keeps on giving," the Doctor said with a laugh.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter Seven

Methanwy, the handmaiden who had been appointed for them, opened the thick oak door to the bedroom and beckoned the Doctor and Rose to enter.

The room was comfortable with dark oak floorboards covered with rugs. A dressing table with stool was next to the small window, with a wardrobe in the corner of the room. The main feature of the room was the single, four poster bed with a beautiful golden silk evening gown laid out on it.

Methanwy continued across the room and opened a door to an adjoining bedroom, where evening clothing was laid out for the Doctor.

"This is your room Sire; I will help Lady Rose to dress. If you require assistance, please knock," she said with a smile and closed the door.

He walked over to the bed and shrugged off his robe and jacket and started to dress for dinner.

Methanwy helped Rose remove her dress and gasped.

"M'lady! Your undergarments are..., most unusual," she said opened mouthed and blushing. Rose was wearing a strapless, lilac, uplifting bra which gave her a nice cleavage, and lilac panties.

Rose blushed herself at the attention and gave a single laugh. "Yes I suppose they are around here, but they are nothing special where I come from, and they are very comfortable."

Methanwy held the gown so that Rose could step into it and pulled it up her body.

Rose put her arms into the 'bell' sleeves which were an off the shoulder design. Methanwy started to lace up the tight bodice which accentuated Rose's already 'fit' figure. When she had finished, she had Rose do a twirl to make sure everything was in order.

"Oh, m'lady. Thou art truly beautiful," she said with sincerity.

"Thank you Methanwy. Pray call me Rose," she said in a conspiring voice. "These airs and graces do not sit well with me."

Methanwy looked horrified. "Oh m'lady! I cannot. I would lose my position if I were found to be talking to a Lady as an equal!"

"Forgive me Methanwy, I did not mean to offend. 'M'lady' it is then, but think on this. You have seen me without clothing, and am I not a woman the same as you?" she said as she walked over to the connecting door.

She knocked on the door. "How'ya doin' in there?" she called. She heard footsteps and the doorknob rattled slightly as the Doctor opened the door.

He was wearing his brown pinstripe trousers with a wide leather belt, and his blue shirt minus the tie. Over that he wore a brown tunic and a black studded jacket. The whole outfit was finished with his usual footwear.

"Hello," she said with her usual cheerful smile.

"Well hello," he said back. She could see he was giving her the once over and liking what he saw. He cleared his throat. "You've gone and done it again, the dressing up thing I mean," he said with a smile.

He held out his arm for her to take. "Come on my Lady Rose, let us go eat, drink and be merry, for tomo..., Oh, no, I don't like the ending on that one," he said as he furrowed his brow. "I know! Past the lips, past the gums, look out stomach, here it comes." Arm-in-arm, they left the bedroom in fits of laughter, and a bemused handmaiden shaking her head.

* * *

In the dining hall, the tables had been arranged in a 'U' shape, with chairs around the outside. Waiting staff could then serve the guests from the inside. The Doctor and Rose were shown to the head table, a great honour. Patrice was seated next to Rose, and made introductions to other people in the hall. The time agent entered and the Doctor introduced him to Patrice.

The hall was filling quickly now and most of the seats were taken. Everyone stood as Arthur and Guinevere entered the hall and walked to the head of the table.

"Please be seated my friends and let us give thanks to God for the food on our table," Arthur said as he spread his arms.

"Amen," the assembled guests replied.

"Now let the feasting begin," he said with a smile and a clap of his hands.

Servants carried in tureens of vegetable soup as a starter, with freshly baked bread rolls. Pitchers of mead, wine and cider were brought from the bottlery to fill goblets and tankards.

There was the gentle hum of conversation as diners enjoyed the thick, spicy soup. Rose chatted with Patrice and Sir Dinadan next to him. Rose liked Dinadan; he had a great sense of humour. He reminded her of the Doctor, who preferred to joke his way out of trouble rather than fight.

The Doctor talked with Queen Iseult of Cornwall, who spoke with a beautiful Irish brogue. He learned that King Mark was Sir Tristan's uncle.

Servants removed the soup bowls and trays of hot food were carried in. Sides of venison, oxen and boar were brought in from the kitchen on those trays. Bowls of roasted and boiled root vegetables, grains and pulses were brought to the table in large serving bowls.

Guests chose the meat that they preferred and it was carved at the table by servants and put on their plates. The bowls of vegetables were passed to and fro along the tables as guests helped themselves. This was another opportunity for people to get to know each other as they passed the bowls.

"Ladies and gentlemen," Arthur addressed them. "Those of you who joined us at luncheon will know that we have two guests who have travelled far and wide and have agreed to share with us the tales of their travels."

The diners briefly put down their cutlery and applauded the Doctor and Rose. They continued eating as Rose asked the Doctor if she could tell them of one of her favourite memories. He smiled at her, knowing which memory it would be.

"Twas in the frozen wastelands of the north, on a beach the locals called 'Woman Wept'," she began.

"Woman Wept?" Queen Iseult said in her gorgeous accent. "What an unusual name."

"Yes m'lady, unusual indeed. There was a... rock formation on the cliff that had the appearance of a lamenting woman. The ocean had frozen with the intensity of the cold. The sight of it took the very breath from my breast."

She stopped for dramatic effect. "The very cresting of the waves themselves had been frozen in an instant. Higher than the walls of Camelot, it had the appearance of a sculpture created by ice giants."

She embellished the story and told of how they had explored this beautiful place in between mouthfuls of the gorgeous food. There was gentle applause as she finished her tale.

The Doctor next told of an army of soldiers, clad in enchanted metal armour. Prisoners would be clothed in the armour and become soldiers of that army. Those that resisted were killed by a touch of lightning from the metal gauntlets.

Guests heard of how he and Rose had fought the soldiers, rescued prisoners and finally broke the enchantment on the armour. He actually got cheers from his audience.

They both took it in turns to tell the frightening tale of a werewolf trying to attack a ruling monarch. They both got 'oohs', 'ahhs', gasps, applause and cheers.

The tables were cleared, and a desert of steamed sponge pudding with a mixed berry sauce was served. Rose put a spoonful in her mouth. The sweet sponge was contrasted with the tangy sauce.

"Oh my Lord, this is exquisite!" she exclaimed out loud. The King thought that she was talking to him.

"I shall be sure to inform the cook of your enjoyment," he said with a warm smile. He had taken a liking to Rose, her exuberance and almost childlike innocence were refreshing.

"And now Sire, I wouldst tell a tale that I have heard just this very day," the Doctor announced. He took a swig of his mead and settled back in his chair.

"In a far off land, there is a race of warrior maidens called the Tezzar. The Tezzar wear magical armour that protects them from most weapons, it can even resist the fiery breath of a dragon. Their swords are so finely crafted that they can slice through any armour and the blade never dulls." He stopped to take another drink from his tankard. He could see that people were waiting for him to continue.

"Their mortal enemies are the mountain dragons, called Craigon. They try to take what the Tezzar have and they also try to take them for food. The Tezzar use their armour and swords to resist their attacks."

That was the background, now for the interesting bit.

"Three months previously, an early morning hunting party was riding to the south of Camelot near the Welsh border. They saw two stars fall from the sky and make landfall nearby." He glanced over at Arthur and saw him looking at him with a stern face. 'Well that's hit the mark', he thought to himself.

"They rode in the direction of the fallen stars and came upon the lake in Black Wood. The waters of the lake were foaming and a strange mist hung over the water. A woman dressed in purest white staggered out of the water and collapsed to her knees on the shore. As the hunting party watched, the water behind her erupted and a beast, twice her height emerged behind her, it was a dragon."

Another swig of mead for a dramatic pause.

"The woman stood and turned, drawing her sword, but she was weak and too slow. The sword was knocked from her hand and, flying through the air it embedded itself into a nearby boulder. The beast roared and the very air itself was set to flame. The woman glowed brilliant white and yet was unharmed by the conflagration. In its rage the beast knocked the woman to the ground and stamped on her chest. In a single bound it unfurled its wings and took to the air and disappeared from sight."

Some of the knights were passing looks between themselves and the King.

"When the hunting party reached the fallen woman she was mortally wounded. 'What is your name fair maiden', the master of the hunt asked. 'Galach Driell' she replied. She looked to the stone and her sword, reaching out, 'Hex Cali Bar', she said with her dying breath."

"Excalibur? The Kings sword?" King Mark asked, breaking the silence that had fallen on the room. Even the servants had stopped to listen.

The Doctor gave a lopsided smile. "No, it was 'Hex Cali Bar'; it means 'Die with My Sword'. It is a great honour for Tezzarians to die with their sword in their hand."

There was no applause, no cheers, just an awkward silence.

"Pray tell Doctor, who told you this tale?" The King asked as he looked around the room. The same knights were looking suspiciously at each other.

The Doctor had his manic smile on his face. "Cavall did!"

The room erupted in laughter, except for Rose and the Doctor who just smiled at each other, and the King, who was starting to look annoyed.

"Cavall?!" he said in disbelief. "My hunting hound?" The dog, which had been lying at the back of the hall, got up and trotted over to sit by his master, thinking he had been called. Arthur instinctively stroked the top of his head. "My grooms and squire told me of your odd behaviour today. Art thou trying to tell me that you converse with animals?"

"Oh verily, 'tis a very useful ability," the Doctor said matter-of-fact.

There were rumblings and mutterings of disbelief amongst the diners.

"I sense the assembled guest do not believe that I have the gift. Therefore I propose a small demonstration, if the King wouldst allow?" The Doctor looked the King in the eye. He needed the King to believe him, and more importantly, he needed him to trust him.

"What do you propose Doctor?" The King asked, raising an eyebrow.

The Doctor sprung to his feet. "Excellent."

He ran over to a serving wench and grinned at her. "Wouldst thou be so kind as to fetch a clean soup tureen from the kitchen?" he asked her.

He ran into the centre of the tables and addressed the guests. "I doth require five personal items to be placed in the tureen. Items that I can have no prior knowledge of."

Rose was beaming a smile at him, she loved to see him like this, all manic and frenetic.

"Rose, wouldst thou take the tureen around the table for people to put their items in and then place it before King Arthur." Rose stood and met the girl coming from the kitchen. She took the lid off the tureen and stood in the middle with the Doctor.

"Cavall, wouldst thou agree to participate?" the Doctor asked the dog.

Cavall stood and trotted around the table and sat by the Doctor.

{Thank you my friend. Follow Rose and watch closely. Try to describe each item placed in the tureen}

{No problem Doctor} The Doctor was sure he could see the dog smiling.

The Doctor turned to face Arthur. "Sire, pray choose a trusted knight to accompany me while I wait outside."

Arthur looked left and right. "Bedivere, my marshal."

The handsome knight stood and bowed to his King. The Doctor headed for the doors and Bedivere followed him through, closing them behind him.

The first item was from a young lady who placed a handkerchief in the tureen that had the letter 'A' embroidered in one corner. Rose saw Arthur speaking to his manservant, who left the room.

Patrice called Rose over. "This is the key to my room m'lady," he said with a wicked grin. Rose smiled coyly and blushed.

A signet ring and a bracelet were also added and finally an intricate Celtic brooch. The King's manservant had returned with parchment, a quill and a pot of ink as Rose placed the tureen at the head of the table.

"I wish to add an item of my own," The King announced. "I am writing here, Cavall's favourite treat that I feed to him when he hath pleased me." He folded the parchment in half and half again and placed it in the tureen. Rose replaced the lid and went back to her seat. Arthur nodded to the servant standing by the doors and he left to fetch the Doctor and Bedivere.

The Doctor literally ran into the room in excitement and went to the centre of the tables. He knelt down on one knee and touched foreheads with Cavall. There was an exchange of whining, snuffles and a couple of barks and the Doctor stood up. The guests were obviously bemused by his antics, this was fine entertainment.

"Firstly there was a handkerchief with a letter 'A', kindly donated by..." Cavall trotted over and sat facing the young lady. "... You m'lady. Cavall apologises, but he is not sure of your name. He believes it to be Ariadne."

The woman clapped her hands. "You clever boy!" she cooed.

"Thank you ma'am," the Doctor said, and then realised she was talking to the dog. "Ah, right, my apologies." Rose got a fit of the giggles and the rest of the guests laughed.

"Next was... Patrice. Oh I liketh thine style. Making the Lady Rose blush with the offer of the key to your room." This got a round of applause and a raucous cheer from his fellow knights.

"Then followed a signet ring from Sir Galahad, a bracelet from Queen Iseult and an intricate brooch from Sir Tristan." The Doctor folded his arms in triumph as he turned in a circle to applause. Cavall trotted up to him and barked.

"Oh yea, verily, there is one more test added by the King. A fine idea Sire, one that I would also have proposed in your position," he said with a smile. "The titbits of venison that you give to Cavall are greatly appreciated. He loves you and is devoted to you and you alone. However, he has confessed to me that he has a sweet tooth, and the shortbread that Edmund feeds him on his walks is also very welcome." The Doctor frowned. "Didst I just say that out loud? I fear I may have just gotten Edmund into trouble."

The hall erupted with laughter and applause. Arthur's face went from amazement, to open-mouthed disbelief to roaring laughter. The Doctor held out his palm and Cavall gave him a 'low five'.


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter Eight

Khysssh Shhrysshk lay brooding in a hollow in the forest. He was finishing off the sheep that he had caught earlier, hoping a full stomach might improve his mood. It didn't. He was stuck on this miserable rock with no ship, no communications and no hope of rescue. On his home world he would be disgraced and his former life would now be over.

He didn't even have a cave to sleep in! The local terrain was flat and wet. He was having to dig his own den with his bare claws. At least he had found a steep bank in the forest that he could dig into, which was now an overhang that he could snuggle into.

That Tezzarian bitch had shot out his hyperdrive with a last, lucky shot as her ship went into catastrophic failure and exploded, just after her escape pod jettisoned and headed for the nearest habitable planet.

His ship had limped along after her, trying to intercept her before she made landfall. A week later, and he had caught up, only to have her luck take her into the atmosphere of this miserable rock before he could capture the pod.

The entry into the atmosphere had been the last straw for his ship and it fell apart as it hit the water. At least the water had cushioned the impact, the damaged landing thrusters had only managed to slow him down, not stop him completely.

He'd shown her in the end though. Stamped the life out of her in the time honoured fashion. Only those pesky indigenous life forms had shown up before he could eat her. Not knowing their weapons capabilities, he had followed the protocol for possible hostile incursion and retreated to find cover.

As it turned out the local life forms were quite puny and posed no threat to him. And food was plentiful and easy to catch. Actually, thinking about it, once he'd got his den dug out, he could be quite comfortable here. His mood started to improve as he belched and incinerated a bush.

The Doctor heard a knock on the adjoining door to Rose's room and walked over to open the door. He unsuccessfully stifled a laugh as he saw Rose standing before him.

"What?" she said laughing herself. "What?" She was wearing a white linen nightdress that covered her completely from her chin to her toes, with no hint of any womanly curves underneath it.

"It looks like a giant pillow case," he said laughing.

"I know," she agreed as she walked over to the bed. "Methanwy had laid it out for me." The Doctor came over and sat on the comfy armchair by her bed. She climbed in and pulled the covers over her.

"So, we got an invite to the King's court tomorrow mornin' then," she said, recapping the events of the day.

"Yeah. That story Cavall told me about their hunting trip made him realise that I knew about his sword and where it came from."

"About that sword," she said. "If its alien tech, isn't it affectin' the time line? Y'know, givin' Arthur an unfair advantage?"

"Technically, yes it is. But I think it was meant to be here, if the legend is to be believed." Rose snuggled down under the covers, resting her head on the pillows. "And if there's a Craigon on the loose, Arthur's kingdom is in serious trouble." He put his feet up on the bed and made himself comfortable.

She always felt a bit guilty about having to sleep while he stayed awake. They had gotten into a little routine where they would chat away about things until Rose fell asleep, safe in the knowledge that her Doctor was watching over her.

"So, tell me about the Tezzar and the Craigon, and that incredible sword," she said sleepily.

He started to tell her what he knew of the history of the two races, of their twin planets and very different resources. He told of jealousy, war and revenge. Attempts at negotiation and diplomacy, treachery and deceit. It sounded like a Shakespearian play. His voice started to go echoey and distant as she drifted off to sleep.

He sat there in the darkness, smiling, watching her sleep. He could see her eyes moving under her lids, hear her breath entering and leaving her body, and see the rise and fall of the bed clothes. He sat like this for a long time, just watching, and waiting, waiting for his love... ly friend to wake up.

* * *

Rose slowly fluttered her eyes open. The morning light was filtering through the curtains behind her, filling the room with a warm twilight.

The Doctor was still in his chair, feet still on the bed, grinning at her over a mug of tea.

"Mornin'," she said sleepily, yawning and stretching her arms above her head.

"Morning," he echoed, picking up her mug off the bed side table and handing it to her. She took a sip and gave an 'ahhhh'. She noticed that he was still grinning at her.

"What?" she laughed, almost a replay of the night before.

"Just waiting for you to notice and work it out," he said mysteriously.

"Oh come on, that's not fair. I've only just woken up." She took another sip of her tea. "Hang on, where'd ya get the mugs from? Yesterday we were drinkin' from metal goblets and tankards," she observed.

"Now you're gettin' it," he beamed at her.

"Come to think of it, we didn't have any hot drinks yesterday."

"And why do you think that is?" he asked her, acting like a school teacher.

"No electric kettles," she said looking him in the eye. A smile broke into a broad grin. She was teasing him; she couldn't resist it when he started lecturing her. She had another sip of her tea and saw his face when she did.

"It's the tea!" she declared. "It comes from India, or China. This lot here haven't been there yet, have they?"

He was so proud of his Rose Tyler. "No they haven't. Not for another 1,000 years," he told her.

"How do they cope?" she laughed.

She finished her mug and thought about the tea. "So where did this come from then?"

"Oh I know this little tea shop next door," he told her with a waggle of eyebrows. He stood up and held out his hand. Rose threw the covers back and climbed out of bed. She trotted barefoot across the rug behind him and they went through to his room.

There, behind the door to the hallway, stood the TARDIS. Rose ran up to her and stroked her wooden exterior.

"Hello old girl. Watcha doin' in here?"

"It was 04:16 this morning; you were in deep R.E.M sleep so I popped out to relocate her here. And I fancied a cup of tea," he told her with a grin. "So let's get dressed for running, and then we can go and get breakfast. And guess what, its bacon 'n' eggs."

The Doctor emerged from the TARDIS wearing his brown pinstriped suit, blue shirt with swirly tie and brown coat. Rose was wearing a pale blue zip-up hoodie, black trousers and boots and a black jacket. They smoothed their lapels, pulled their sleeves, looked at each other and grinned. Hand-in-hand they set off for the dining hall.

In the hall, the tables had been put back as they were for luncheon the previous day. As guests entered the hall they were asked for their choice of breakfast, porridge oats or bacon and eggs. Rose and the Doctor had the bacon and eggs and took a seat at the table.

Some people had already ordered and were eating their breakfasts. The Doctor and Rose had people complimenting them on the previous evening's entertainment, especially the bit with the dog.

"It wasn't meant to be enterta... Oh never mind. You're welcome," he said with a smile.

Patrice and some of the other knights entered the dining hall for breakfast before the court session.

"Morning Pat," the Doctor called to him. "Care to join us?"

He turned to look at Rose and the smile dropped off his face. She was looking puzzled.

"What's up?" he asked her.

"I just heard you speakin' normal English, not the Shakespeare stuff," she told him.

"Ah, yes. Did I forget to mention that while you were sleeping, I tinkered with the translation matrix and fine tuned it? The TARDIS was getting a bit confused translating English into English."

"It must have just slipped your mind," she said rolling her eyes and smiling. "You and your tinkerin'. I bet if you were an Earth lad, you'd wear a baseball cap and have a white Ford Fiesta with jacked up suspension and a sound system that rattled the tinted windows." She gave him that teasing smile.

"Would not!" he said indignantly.

"Would too," she laughed. "Just admit it; you're a chav at heart."

Before he could deny it, Patrice, Dinadan, Gareth, Kay, Agravain and Gawain joined them and they all breakfasted together. The knights were intrigued by the Doctor's ability to talk with animals; it would be a very useful skill to have out in the wild.

The Doctor sadly informed them that it was a gift, from being Gallifreyan (that small island in the Aegean Sea). They had also expressed interest about the story he had told about the dragon and the King's sword.

As trusted knights, they had been told about the events that morning, but it seemed the Doctor knew more about them than anyone.

"Patience gentlemen, everything will be explained in court," he told them.

"Speaking of which, we had better be going," Gawain said.

Arthur and his knights filed into the chamber, taking seats around the table. The Doctor and Rose followed them in when a guard at the door challenged Rose.

"I'm sorry m'lady, when court is in session, women are not allowed in," he told her. Rose was gob smacked and fuming. 'How dare he', she thought to herself. The Doctor turned and was about to intervene, and then he saw the look in her eyes. She had that 'Jackie Tyler' look, the look she has just before she strikes. He stepped back and raised an eyebrow at Arthur, grinning. He folded his arms; this was going to be good.

Rose slowly approached the guard until they were nose to nose.

"And your name is?" she asked in a low, husky voice.

The poor lad. He had been brought up properly by his parents. You respect your betters. Always say please and thank you and you never argue with a lady. The Celtic warrior maidens were another matter; they were downright vicious and fought as well as any man.

Ladies were supposed to know the rules and follow them without question. This lady, dressed as a man, did the exact opposite and he didn't know what to do.

The guard cleared his throat and looked at his King for guidance. Arthur sat with his fingers steepled, a hint of a smile on his lips. Seeing no help there, he looked back at Rose and gulped.

"A... Adam m'lady," he said looking into her fiery brown eyes.

"Well Adam. I take it you were not present in the dinin' hall yesterday evenin' when we told our stories of our adventures. The true stories of how we beat the odds against all sorts of bad guys."

He shook his head. "No m'lady, I was on duty on the battlements."

"Well Adam," she said again. "You would have learnt that I may be a woman, but I am no m'lady. I am Rose," she poked his chest. "Marion," poke in the chest. "Tyler," poke in the chest. "Companion of the Doctor. An extraordinary woman who has courage and compassion in equal measure. Who decided to take the hand of a Lord of Gallifrey and run through all of time and space."

She looked over to Arthur. "Me and the Doctor are a team. We look out for each other, we watch each others backs. And," she looked back at Adam. "If you try and stop me from looking out for him, or from watchin' his back, you may never be able to have children," she growled at him. "Do I make myself clear?"

A chuckle emanated from the direction of the King. "Lady Ro... Sorry, Rose, please join us at the table. I wish half of my guards had the bal..., the spirit you have just shown." He was now laughing, and Rose smiled as she joined the Doctor. She wished she had a camera, because the look of pride on his face was a picture.

Arthur called the court to session as everyone sat at the round table.

"I think introductions are in order before we start. Some of you have already met our guest's, Doctor and Rose," he started. "Around the table to my right we have Gareth, Kay, Agravain, King Mark of Cornwall, Gawain, Gaheris, Bedivere, Tristran, Dinadan, Patrise, Mador, and Galahad." Each knight nodded in turn as they were introduced by their King.

"Now, let us get down to the business at hand. We are all aware of the events that occurred a few months ago, the Doctor however, seems to have a greater understanding of what is behind it all than we do," Arthur told the assembly.

Adam, the guard entered the chamber and walked around the edge of the room to speak with Arthur, giving a hesitant sideways glance at Rose as he went.

He whispered into Arthur's ear and then left the chamber, giving Rose another sideways glance as he went. Rose had a grin on her face.

"Doctor, there is a man outside who claims to know you. He says his name is Lancelot," the King told him.

The Doctor looked at Rose and grinned. "Lance is here. I'd forgotten to invite him," he said. "Your Highness, although this man is not from Gallifrey, he has travelled extensively and has a great deal of knowledge and experience that this court would find invaluable."

Arthur called out. "Allow Lancelot to enter please."

The time agent entered the chamber, bowed to Arthur and sat where Arthur had gestured to an empty seat. "Thank you sire, I offer my allegiance to you and your court. My skills are at your service," Lance declared.

"Thank you Lancelot, we shall speak of this later. For now though, the Doctor was about to enlighten us about the events we observed a few months ago." Arthur nodded towards the Doctor for him to begin.

The Doctor stood up and leaned on the table. "Right, where to begin?" he said to himself. "King Arthur, do you have a mystical advisor? Myrddin or Merlin?"

"No! Should I have?" Arthur asked, puzzled.

"I don't know," the Doctor said. "Maybe it's me. I am known by quite a few different names. Anyhoo, back to the point. What you are about to hear will sound unbelievable to you, but it is all true," he began.

"The Tezzar and the Craigon live on twin planets, worlds that orbit one of the stars that you see in the night sky." There were mutterings of disbelief from the knights. The Doctor continued and told them the story he had told Rose last night.

"How can this be?" Arthur asked.

"The universe is larger and stranger than you can ever imagine. That morning, what you saw were two alien vessels, ships that fly between the stars, crashing into the lake."

"The Craigon are intelligent and technologically advanced, although the one that crashed in the lake may not have been able to salvage any of that technology. He'll have armour plated scales as tough as Kevlar, there are no weapons you possess that can harm him, save one, the King's sword. But then you've got to get close enough to use it. Their stomachs have an extra compartment that produces methane and can be belched and ignited."

"The lady of the lake was a Tezzarian warrior named Gallach Driell. I believe her ship had been damaged by the Craigon and it may have been an escape pod that fell into the lake. In her concussed state, she would have been no match for the Craigon."

"That morning you saw an example of the fire belching, and the white light surrounding Galach Driell was a Tezzarian energy shield that protected her from the fire. Unfortunately it did not protect her from the blunt trauma of being stamped on."

The Doctor gave Arthur a solemn look. "Cavall told me that you built a simple raft and set it adrift on the lake where you ignited it with a flaming arrow. That was a fitting tribute to a warrior."

"The problem you now have, that King Mark has, and that all the other kingdoms in Britain have, is that you have a superior alien being, with no natural predators and no one who can stop it from doing exactly what it wants to."

"Are we doomed then Doctor?" King Mark asked.

The Doctor smiled, looked at Rose and gave her a wink. "Not while I'm here you're not. First things first, Arthur can I examine that sword of yours?" He was in mile-a-minute mode and all propensity was out the window.

The other knights were about to express their outrage about addressing the King in such a manner, when Arthur smiled, stood and unfastened the belt and placed Excalibur on the table. The Doctor took out his glasses and his sonic screwdriver and adjusted the settings.

"Doctor, I think this might help," Lancelot said as he put a book on the table and slid it towards him.

The Doctor smiled at him. "I don't need to read your notes on the sword, I need to scan it."

Lancelot rolled his eyes. "Just open the damn book will you."

The Doctor picked up the book and opened it. There inside the book was a touch screen scanning device. He looked at the time agent and grinned.

"Nice camouflage," he said. He activated the screen and flicked through the history. "Ooh, someone's been busy." He found bio-scans of his two hearts and Rose's 21st century healthy body; his sonic screw-driver and Rose's underwear made of modern materials. 'A bit naughty but thorough' the Doctor thought to himself.

He found the scan of the sword. It was made of an alien composite alloy which was light and incredibly strong. The readout gave all the technical and metallurgic details. He put down the scanner and picked up the scabbard and drew out the sword. It looked like a double edged broadsword of exceptional quality.

"Oh this is magnificent," he whispered. The blade was a perfect mirror finish even down to the molecular level. "They are known as the blades with no edge."

"What? You mean it's blunt?" Rose asked slightly confused.

The Doctor gave a single laugh. "No Rose, just the opposite. It is so sharp that the edge is only a few atoms across, you can't see it, and it never blunts." He swung the sword around feeling its weight.

"If only you'd had that when you fought the Sycorax," Rose said.

"I'd have been even more magnificent than I was," he said with a grin and a wink. "You found this stuck in a boulder?" He directed the question at Arthur.

Arthur nodded. "Yes and it came out as easily as drawing it from the scabbard."

"Can I demonstrate its power?" the Doctor asked.

Arthur nodded and the Doctor walked over to a 4 foot tall, metal candlestick standing on the floor. He held the sword above his head and brought it down vertically, slicing the candlestick in two.

A few of the knights had seen the sword in action against the Saxons in a skirmish, the others gasped in amazement. The Doctor returned the sword to the scabbard and placed it on the table.

"That will be a last resort," he said pointing to the sword. "I need to talk to the Craigon and see if we can come to some sort of... agreement."

"He'll probably be following standard operating procedures for stranding in a possible hostile environment," Lancelot said.

"Concealment, surveillance and reconnaissance," the Doctor continued.

"Recover any resources you can from your ship and then destroy it to prevent it falling into hostile hands," Lancelot said.

"Ingratiate or intimidate the local population to establish a stronghold," the Doctor finished. He looked around the room and asked. "Has anyone heard any rumours from travellers about explosions, waterspouts, raining fish, missing livestock, missing people, anything weird?"

"That's incredible," Agravain said. "A merchant travelling along the south road a couple of months ago, told me of a waterspout that rained fish in the Black Wood Lake."

"So, he's destroyed his ship and he's either called for a taxi or he's here to stay." Lancelot concluded.

Galahad spoke up. "We have been investigating reports from local serfs of missing animals from their smallholdings. It's as if they disappeared into thin air."

"Or were lifted into thin air. Can you show me on a map where these disappearances happened Galahad?" The Doctor looked at Rose. "Using geographical profiling, I should be able to narrow down the location of its den. So, you ready for a bit of exploring Rose?" the Doctor asked.

She gave him her enthusiastic grin. "Always!" she replied as she stood up.

"Doctor, surely you don't expect to do this on your own?" Arthur asked him.

"It wouldn't be the first time, and it probably won't be the last," Rose replied for him, reaching out and holding his hand. They looked at each other and smiled.

"This is my kingdom, they are my subjects, this is my problem," The King announced. "I will ride out with my knights to find this beast. Would you and Rose be so kind as to accompany me?"

The Doctor bowed low. "It would be an honour to ride with the King of the Britons."


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter Nine

Gaheris, Dinadan, Patrise, Mador, and Galahad had changed into their ring-mail armour and were leaving the Great Hall to cross the lawn to the stables. Lancelot was still in his doublet and trousers. Rose was talking to Patrise and the Doctor was sharing a joke with Dinadan.

The morning air was cool as the sun had not yet raised above the wall of the bailey. Dew was still on the lawns and the breath of the horses could be seen as they were prepared for riding.

Rose looked back at the doors to the Hall and saw Arthur and Guinevere saying goodbye and kissing passionately. She realised how she longed for that kind of relationship with a certain someone.

In the stables, the horses were being saddled by the grooms while the Master of the Hounds brought Cavall and the other hunting dogs. The Doctor walked up to Lightning's Shadow, placing his hand on his forehead.

{Hello Old Shit, how are you?} the Doctor grinned.

{Ah, Long-Streak-Of-Piss, I am well, thank you for asking} the horse replied.

The Doctor and Lightning's Shadow exploded with laughter, which made everyone turn and look. Rose went up to them, laughing herself at the sight of them.

"What's so funny?" she asked him. The Doctor took one look at Rose and collapsed against the stable door holding his ribs, unable to breath through the laughter. Lightning's Shadow fell against the wall of his stable, his large chest shuddering from laughter.

{Oh I'm going to enjoy travelling with you} the Doctor said through hiccups of laughter.

{The feeling is mutual}

Arthur joined them and looked at his horse. "Is Hengroen ill?" he asked the groom.

The Doctor started laughing again. "Oh, stop it! stop it, please," he laughed, wiping tears from his eyes and trying to get back in control.

"Your horse is fine Sire. He just seems to have been enjoying a joke with Lord Doctor," the groom said.

"Very well then," Arthur said. "Let's mount up and move out." he commanded. "Doctor, Plantain has been saddled for you and Rose, you may ride Rowan."

Rose had her bottom lip in her teeth as she approached the horses.

"Doctor," she said hesitantly.

He looked at her and saw the trepidation on her face. "What's up Rose?" he asked her.

"I've never ridden a horse before," she confessed.

"What? Never?" He was stunned. Didn't everyone know how to ride a horse?

"I've ridden a donkey at the seaside when I was little, but horses and ridin' schools are few and far between in Peckham," she told him. "An' how would my Mum pay for ridin' lessons?"

"You have to pay to ride a horse?" he asked incredulously.

"Yeah you do. You still haven't got the hang of money an' payin' for stuff have ya?"

The Doctor scratched his head and rubbed the back of his neck. "I guess not," he admitted.

He slowly walked over to his horse. {Hello, I'm the Doctor and I would be grateful if you would let me ride you}

{My name is White Cloud, and it would be an honour to carry you on your journey}

{Thank you White Cloud. And Rowan, what is her real name?}

{She is called Morning Dew and is a gentle spirit}

The Doctor thanked his horse and went to Rose. He took her hand and walked over to Morning Dew.

"Rose, this is Morning Dew and I'm going to have a word with her," he told her smiling.

{Hello Morning Dew, I am the Doctor and this is Rose. She has never ridden before. Would you look after her please?}

Morning Dew slowly clip-clopped over to Rose and lowered her head to nuzzle Rose. Rose hesitantly raised her hand and stroked Morning Dew's forehead.

{I like her; she is both gentle and strong, fierce and compassionate. You have chosen your companion well Doctor. I sense you love each other very much}

{What?!} The Doctor was stunned by Morning Dew's insight.

Rose saw the startled look on the Doctor's face. "What's wrong?"

"Er, nothing... nothing. Morning Dew will look after you. Just sit on her and trust her."

Arthur and the knights mounted their steeds as the Doctor 'talked' to Cavall.

{Do you remember the smell of the beast from the lake?}

{Yes, it was so foreign to anything I had smelt before}

{If we go back, do you think you could find him?}

{Does a king wear a crown? Yes I will find him for you}

They did a low five. The Doctor stood and leapt up onto White Cloud's back.

The hunting party trotted through the arched passageway of the keep into the outer bailey. Market stalls had already been erected for the days trading as they passed by on their way to the barbican and the main entrance.

Camelot was situated on a hill in the south-west corner of the walled City of Legions. The stone cobbled road from the castle led down to the main street that ran north-south through the city. The hunting party turned south and passed through the south gate and over the bridge spanning the river Dee.

The Doctor rode alongside Rose and leaned over to slacken her white knuckle grip on the reins.

{Thank you Doctor} Morning Dew snorted as the reins loosened around her mouth.

The Doctor smiled at Rose. "Hey, forget the reins," he told her. "Just hold onto the saddle until you get your balance. Morning Dew knows what to do, she doesn't need any help."

Rose visibly relaxed into the saddle and started to gently sway with the rhythm of the horse. She started to look around. They passed a few stone houses before entering farmland that bordered Mara forest.

By midday, the dirt road had taken them deep into the oak forest. The air was still and warm, and unusually quiet. Cavall lifted his head and sniffed the air, giving a low growl.

{Doctor, the smell of the beast is on the air}

{Which way?} the Doctor asked.

Cavall sniffed again. {East!}

"Arthur, we need to head east. Follow Cavall, he's got the scent."

The group followed the hounds along the road to the east for a couple of hours until they stopped and wandered around aimlessly.

Cavall walked up to the Doctor. {The beast is close}

The Doctor dismounted and helped Rose down from her horse. He had his hands on the top of her hips. her hands were on his chest. They stood there silently for a moment looking into each others eyes.

Every time Rose looked into those brown eyes, time seemed to stand still. She wondered if it was a Time Lord thing. The Doctor seemed to suddenly remember where his hands were and removed them as though he had received an electric shock.

Everyone else had dismounted and they gathered together. He took out his sonic screwdriver and started to scan as he turned in a circle. Lancelot took out his 'book' scanner and did the same.

They came together face to face and grinned at each other, turning to look at a small hillock nearby.

"The other side?" Lancelot asked with a sideways nod of his head.

"Yep!" the Doctor replied. "Right! You lot wait here while I go and have a chat with the Craigon." He turned and started to head off through the trees.

Rose and Lancelot looked at each other, rolled their eyes and laughed as they set off in pursuit.

"DOCTOR!" Arthur called after him. "You have no weapon!"

"I know!" he announced, turning around. "The last thing I want to do is go into a negotiation all tooled up!" It was his turn to roll his eyes when he saw Rose and Lancelot standing in front of him. "And where do you think you're going?" he asked.

Rose smiled at him "We're on the negotiatin' committee. You comin' or what?" she said as she walked past him to head up the hill.

Lancelot watched her go and looked at the Doctor. "I like her!"

They both set off up the hill.

They pulled themselves up to the top of the hill using branches and roots in the undergrowth. The Doctor led the way, single file through the trees to a steep bank on the other side. Hanging on to a branch he leaned over and looked down.

"Bingo!" he whispered. At the bottom of the bank he could see freshly disturbed earth. Something had been digging. He led the way diagonally down the steep bank to the bottom of the hill.

There at the bottom of the curved bank, was a hole.

A big hole.

It was several feet in diameter and appeared to go deep into the hill with a gentle downward slope. The Doctor touched the wall of the tunnel to discover that the soil had been heat sealed. He took out his sonic and switched it on to emit a bright blue light.

He looked right and left at Rose and Lance in turn. "I don't suppose it's any use telling you to stay here is it?"

"Nope!" they said together, and all three set off down the tunnel.

A few yards down the tunnel, there was a small chamber on the left.

"Doctor, look!" Lance whispered. There was Saxon leather studded armour, shields, swords and battle axes scattered about.

"Well, it looks like he takes the wrappers off his snacks," the Doctor said without humour.

"That is in such bad taste," Rose chided.

They came to a 'Y' junction. The Doctor sniffed the air and headed to the right.

"This way," he said.

"Why this way?" Rose asked him as she and Lance followed him.

"Sniff, what do you smell?" he asked her in reply. Rose sniffed the air.

"Ugh! Rotten eggs!" she said, screwing up her nose.

"That's hydrogen sulphide, one of the gases produced by the Craigon's rumen. Bacteria break down vegetation and produce it, along with methane and hydrogen, which are odourless.

Lance had his 'book' scanner out and was waving it about as they approached the end of the tunnel.

"Doctor, the methane concentration is 10% of the atmosphere," he quietly announced.

He stopped at the entrance to a large chamber, where the Craigon was curled up on a bed of grass and moss.

"10%? Oh dear, I think I've made a serious error."

Khysssh Shhrysshk slowly lifted his head off his crossed arms and opened his yellow eyes. His pupils were vertical, oval slits.

"Who dares disturb my slumber?" his deep, rumbling voice asked.

Rose whispered to Lance. "What's so special about 10%?"

"At 9.5% concentration of methane to air, it doesn't just burn, it becomes a powerful explosive gas," he told her.

Rose swallowed hard. "Oh!"

"I seek audience with the Craigon under peaceful contract according to convention 15 of the Shadow Proclamation," the Doctor stated.

Rose was hit by a wave of nostalgia as she remembered those words. His earlier self had said them to the Nestene Consciousness on their very first adventure.

"Ah, an off-worlder," Khysssh Shhrysshk hissed.

"Yes, I'm the Doctor, a Time Lord of Gallifrey. If I might have permission to approach?"

"Time Lord! I thought your race was a myth. Please approach, I want to get a better look at this myth."

The Doctor stepped forwards. "Am I addressing a Craigon?" he asked.

"Yes, my name is Khysssh Shhrysshk, Arcane Lieutenant of the Firebrand Legion."

"Greetings Khysssh Shhrysshk. If I might observe, you are stranded here having destroyed your vessel. Did you manage to call for a ride home?" the Doctor asked.

Khysssh Shhrysshk grumbled. "Why would I go home? Did you not hear me? I am an Arcane Lieutenant. I am disgraced by being outwitted by a Tezzaran warrior bitch!" He spat the words out.

The Doctor looked both surprised and worried as he ran his hand through his hair. "Ah, right. So you don't want me to phone home then?"

Khysssh Shhrysshk smiled. "Why would I want to leave? I have food, I will have slaves, and I will shortly be moving into more comfortable accommodation."

The Doctor's face became stern. "What do you mean?" he asked with a hint of threat in his voice.

"The castle in the walled city to the north-west looks very... inviting."

Rose and Lance had come to stand beside the Doctor. He looked at Rose. "This is bad. This is very bad," he told her. He turned back to the Craigon.

"I came here with an offer of help, a chance for you to leave peacefully. But if you choose to refuse my help then I will stop you. There will be no second chance."

Khysssh Shhrysshk started to chuckle.

"Can you hear his stomach rumbling?" Rose asked.

The Doctor reached out and held Rose's hand. There was that nostalgia again.

"Time to do what we do best," he told her with a wink. "RUN!"

They turned and ran out of the chamber into the tunnel as Khysssh Shhrysshk belched.

Lance dived and grabbed the Doctor and Rose in a group hug as the tunnel system exploded.


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter Ten

Historically, in Europe, knighthood was conferred upon mounted warriors and knighthood was considered a class of lower nobility. The rank became associated with the ideals of chivalry, a code of conduct for the perfect courtly Christian warrior.

They were the elite special forces of the medieval period, and Arthur's knights were the best of the best. Primarily they were horsemen, with almost mystical relationships with their horses. They could ride without need of saddle or rein, controlling their horse with commands from their legs and feet whilst using a longbow.

They were proficient in bladed weapons such as dagger, throwing knife, short sword, long sword and broad sword. They could use blunt weapons, battle axe, club, mace, morning star and quarterstaff.

They used polearm weapons on horseback such as lance, halberd and pike. In fact it was said they could use a chair or a tree branch and gain victory. They would face one opponent or ten and fight with the same stoic courage.

Dinadan, who was known more for his sense of humour than his desire to fight, was once ambushed by three Saxon raiders. It is said that he lowered his head and gave his sympathy for their families' loss. When they pointed out that he was outnumbered 3 to 1, he apologised again for being in a hurry and not having time for them to go and get reinforcements. After the fight he respectfully laid out their bodies, placing their swords along their bodies, arms folded and their shields on their chests.

They were hard, hard as nails. And yet they were also refined and cultured, enjoying the arts and culture. An iron fist in a velvet glove.

They had made a temporary camp at the foot of the hill, using a fallen tree as a bench seat. They sat on alternate sides of the tree so that they could talk and still see in all directions, preventing the risk of ambush. They were eating bread, cheese and fruit as they waited for the Doctor, Rose and Lancelot to return. Inactivity, while waiting for comrades to return from potential danger did not sit well with them, but they did it with professional calm.

The dogs howled and the horses whinnied as they heard the rumbling first. Arthur and his knights leapt to their feet in an instant with swords drawn as they felt the ground tremble.

They heard the 'BOOM' and 'WHOOSH' of the percussion wave from an explosion and saw the fireball rise into the sky through the trees above the hill.

"What in Gods name?" Arthur uttered.

They started to run up the hill and then stopped when they saw three figures crest the hill and come stumbling towards them as fast as their legs could carry them.

* * *

On top of the hill, the Doctor and Rose fell onto grass in the forest undergrowth with Lance on top of them. They heard the 'BOOM' and 'WHOOSH' from the methane explosion and felt the heat from the huge fireball as it rose into the air in front of them.

"What?" is all the Doctor could manage to say.

Lance got to his feet and closed the cover on his wrist bracer.

"Teleport," he said in explanation as he helped Rose to her feet. "I'm glad you didn't disable that function," he said looking at the Doctor.

"So am I", he replied.

Rose smiled remembering Captain Jack. "Ah, like Jack used in that hospital when we were trapped by the gasmask people," she said to the Doctor.

"I can't wait to hear that story," Lance said with a smile.

"Maybe at the next banquet," the Doctor suggested. "Right now though we've got to get back to Camelot as fast as we can." He took Rose's hand and they ran across the hilltop and down the slope on the other side.

They saw Arthur and his knights coming up the hill.

"MOUNT UP!" the Doctor shouted. "WE NEED TO RIDE FOR CAMELOT!"

Arthur and his knights climbed quickly onto their horses. The Doctor ran to White Cloud.

{Can you travel as fast carrying two as you can carrying one?}

{Have no fear Doctor, I will keep up}

He leapt onto White Cloud and held his hand out for Rose.

"We have to ride fast Rose, come up here with me," he told her. She grabbed his wrist and was pulled up behind him.

"Hold on tight!" She wrapped her arms around his waist and pressed her body against him. 'At last' she thought to herself with a wicked grin. The Doctor was very aware of the inside of her thighs pressing against his bum. Her flat stomach against the small of his back. Her firm breasts against his shoulder blades. Her arms around him, hands on his stomach.

{Morning Dew, ride like the wind for Camelot} he told Rose's horse and they all set off at a gallop back towards the City of Legions.

"He'll probably wait for nightfall before attacking Camelot!" the Doctor shouted across to Arthur as they galloped side by side. "Hopefully we'll have a bit of time to get people to safety."

"Why is he attacking now?" Arthur shouted back.

"Because he knows he can, he's decided to set up home here. I thought I could offer to call his folks and get him a ride home. I hadn't considered the fact that if he went home he would be humiliated and face a court marshal."

"How are we goin' to stop 'im?" Rose shouted from behind.

"Don't know! I'll have to try and distract him, piss him off so that he'll concentrate on me," the Doctor replied.

"That should be easy for you with your motor-mouth," she grinned. "You're good at pissin' people off."

"Rose Tyler!" he exclaimed indignantly. She gave him an affectionate squeeze, burying her head into his back.

* * *

"GUARDS!" Arthur called as they galloped through the barbican. "Run into the city and warn people to get into stone buildings. All wooden and thatched buildings are not safe tonight."

He saw his squire run through the keep entrance. "Edmund, summon all my knights and the guards, we are at war!" Edmunds eyes went wide with disbelief.

"Yes sire, immediately."

The Doctor slid out of the saddle and lifted Rose down off the horse so that he was carrying her. She had her arms around his neck.

"Hello," she grinned at him.

"Hello," he replied, grinning right back at her.

"Er... Doctor."

"Yeah?"

"There's nothing wrong with my legs!"

"I'll say!" The Doctor suddenly realised what he was doing and what he had just said. He dropped her onto her feet and ran his hand through his hair, looking very embarrassed. She slowly smoothed his lapels and looked up at him.

"Thank you," she smiled. He cleared his throat and started looking around.

"Arthur!" the Doctor called out. "We need to get to the roof of the Great Hall and I need two swords."

"Guard!" Arthur grabbed a passing guard. "Take the Doctor and Rose to the roof, then have two swords sent up from the armoury. Keep them safe."

"Yes sire." The Doctor and Rose ran after him through the double doors. When they reached the first floor, the inkling of a plan started to form in the Doctor's mind.

"We need to make a slight detour, I need some armour," he announced as he headed for the bedroom where the TARDIS was 'parked'.

When Rose caught up with him and ran into the TARDIS, he was stuffing a backpack with various bits and pieces. He had the orange Krop Tor spacesuit nearby.

"Is that your idea of armour?" she asked him with concern. She was sure he was going to get himself killed.

"Against a Craigon it's ideal. This suit is designed to operate at temperatures from −216 °C to +216 °C, keeping the wearer at a comfortable 37 °C." He stood and ran out of the console room.

Clattering and clanking noises came filtering through the room and he reappeared with two, what can only be described as cannons, hanging on straps from his shoulder.

"Here, take these. You and Lance might find them useful," he told her as he put the backpack over his shoulder, picked up the suit and helmet and headed down the ramp.

"I didn't think you 'did' guns" Rose said following him outside.

"Look carefully, you've seen something like them before."

Rose examined one of the guns and then remembered where she's seen one before. She and Mickey had carried them on the space station that had tried to take the brain of Madame de Pompadour.

"It's a fire extinguisher!" she exclaimed. "That's brilliant!"

When they ran out onto the roof the light was dimming fast. Rose looked over the castellations at the surrounding terrain. To the west was the river Dee curving around the city to the south. She saw the bridge they had used earlier to enter and leave the city. Facing east she could see the main street running from the south gate all the way up to the north, past the large stone built church which would eventually become Chester cathedral.

She could see people in the city being helped to safety by the guards. People in the north of the city were being led to the church, while people in the south were brought into the castle.

The roof door opened and they turned to see a trumpeter step onto the roof.

"The King has asked that I sound the alarm when you see the dragon," he told them. He looked terrified.

"Good idea. The King must think very highly of you to give you such an important task," the Doctor said. "What's your name?"

"John sir," he replied.

"I'm the Doctor, this is Rose. Once you've sounded the alarm I want you to run downstairs and stay out of trouble." He waggled his eyebrows in Rose's direction.

Rose smiled at the Doctor. Even in a dire situation he still had time for the ordinary man in the street.

The Doctor took his folding binoculars out of the backpack and engaged the night vision in the dim light. Everyone waited anxiously for the Craigon to appear as the minutes ticked by.

"John," the Doctor said quietly.

"Yes Doctor."

"Time to play a tune." He folded up his binoculars and put them back in the backpack. John took a deep breath and sounded the alarm.

The Doctor started pulling on the spacesuit, Rose helping him wriggle in and fasten him up. She stood in front of him, holding the helmet, looking into his eyes. She had a feeling of Déjà vu and suddenly was very scared.

"Hey, what's up?" he asked her when he saw her expression change.

"I was just rememberin' the last time I saw you in this suit. I thought I'd never see you again, and here we are again, the same suit, the same possibility."

"Come here." He pulled her into a tight hug. "It's going to be fine."

"So, what's the plan?" she asked him as they finished the hug.

"Welllll... It's sort of... fluid at the moment. It all depends on how Khysssh Shhrysshk reacts when I challenge him to combat."

"What? Like you did on the Sycorax ship?" Rose was incredulous.

He waggled his eyebrows. "It worked though didn't it?" He started to put on the helmet.

"Only after you lost yer hand!" Rose reminded him

"If I'm right, and I usually am, it won't come to that." His voice was muffled inside the helmet. The suit powered up with a hiss as the internal environment stabilised and the helmet illuminated his face. When he spoke again the suit comm-link enhanced his voice.

"I'm going to try and get him inside, hopefully into the dungeon where we can contain him. Out here he's unbeatable, but in confined spaces the odds are more even."

Rose grabbed the helmet and, just as she did on Krop Tor, she kissed the face plate and smiled at him.

"If you see someone with a barbecue, I'll have a hotdog and a burger," she said with a grin. The Doctor grinned back at her and then nodded for her to get off the roof. She picked up the two fire extinguishers and headed for the door.

She got to the door and stopped with her hand on the handle, looking back at the lone orange sentinel. A vanguard knight, standing in defiance, on behalf of all mankind.


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter Eleven

Khysssh Shhrysshk watched the three 'visitors' run out of his bed chamber into the tunnel. He was contracting his rumen to produce a gas bolus that would ignite the air. He closed his eyes and his ears and belched, feeling the warmth of the conflagration on his scales. He lowered his head onto his folded arms and went back to sleep for a couple of hours. When night fell he would claim his new throne and tomorrow he would be sleeping in the king's bed.

As Khysssh Shhrysshk left his bed chamber he was surprised that there were no charred remains in the tunnel. They must have been faster runners than he thought. He was even more surprised and somewhat puzzled when he got outside. The area was scorched from the fireball, bushes and shrubs were just sticks of charcoal. Tree bark facing the entrance was charred. There were no bodies! No footprints in the ash of comrades collecting their remains for burial. Where could they have gone?

Never mind, he would have plenty of time to contemplate it after tonight. He stretched out his wings and gave a couple of warm-up flaps, hopping along as he did so. He crouched down, leapt up and with a massive down draft of his wings climbed into the evening twilight.

His dark pupils were wide taking in as much light as they could to give him excellent night vision. He could see the walled city in the distance and set off towards it, his excitement rising. He was going to enjoy this.

The Doctor stood on the roof of the Great hall, watching the Craigon approach. He was high, maybe 1,000 feet on a straight course that lined up with the main street. The Doctor knew what the Craigon would do, he would suddenly dive and, using the main street as a runway would glide along spewing fire as he went. Throw your enemy into chaos and then pick off the opposition at your leisure.

Sure enough, Khysssh Shhrysshk started to glide down and belched out a steady, controlled stream of fire that ignited wooden buildings, carts and thatched roofs along the main street.

The Doctor held a powerful laser pen and pressed the button. A pencil thin beam of intense green light shone across the city, easily seen in the rising smoke. He activated the helmet public address system.

"KHYSSSH SHHRYSSHK!" His voice boomed over the city, rattling windows. "REMEMBER ME? I'M THE DOCTOR! YOU THOUGHT I WAS A MYTH, BUT YOU WERE WRONG, I'M A LEGEND... AND, I'M THE STUFF OF NIGHTMARES."

Rose was two floors down and could hear his voice resonating through the stone. She looked up at the ceiling and smiled at his words. She started to run as she continued her search for Lance.

The Doctor saw the Craigon turn at the end of his glide and circle around to follow the laser beam.

"Return all seats to the upright position and fasten your seatbelts, he's coming in to land." The Doctor turned off the laser pen, picked up the two swords and stood in front of the roof door.

Khysssh Shhrysshk flapped to a landing on the roof and folded his wings. He stood half as tall again as the Doctor and folded his arms across his chest while his tail swished behind him.

"I thought I had baked you earlier," Khysssh Shhrysshk boomed.

"Didn't your myth tell you that Time Lords are hard to kill? You should have taken my offer, I don't give second chances," the Doctor replied.

"NEITHER DO I!" A jet of flame shot out of his mouth, causing the Doctor to step backwards under the force of the breath. The fireball subsided and the Doctor was still standing in front of the Craigon, smiling.

"Nope, that ain't gonna work," he grinned. He tossed a sheathed sword to Khysssh Shhrysshk who caught it easily.

"Tell you what, under the sanctified rules of combat, I challenge you to a duel!" he said in a cheery voice.

Khysssh Shhrysshk withdrew the sword from the scabbard and examined it before throwing them behind him. He smiled at the Doctor and raised his hands, flexing his fingers and showing him his impressive claws.

"I accept your challenge. I will tear you asunder and stamp your remains into dust," he roared.

"Hssskk chhassk tsskk psshhack," the Doctor hissed.

Khysssh Shhrysshk was speechless with rage. Which wasn't surprising considering that the Doctor had said his mother was a damp match and his father couldn't light a barbecue with a fart.

The Doctor chuckled to himself. Rose was right; his motor-mouth could seriously piss people off. He took the moment of mounting rage in his opponent to grab the backpack, open the roof door and run.

He took the wooden stairs two or three at a time down to the landing. His vision blurred and went orange as he was engulfed in a ball of flame. Looking up he could see Khysssh Shhrysshk coming through the door and starting to descend the stairs.

The Doctor quickly opened the door to the third floor and went through, slamming the door behind him. He took his sonic screwdriver out of the backpack and fused the metal latch.

He ran down the hallway to the staircase at the other end and waited. He wanted the Craigon to see and follow him. An angry, fire breathing dragon roaming the Great Hall looking for him was not a good idea.

The small door rattled once and then splintered off its hinges. Khysssh Shhrysshk stuck his head through the doorway and looked both ways. He spotted the Doctor and started to move towards him. The Doctor sat on the curving balustrade and slid all the way down to the second floor with a 'wheeeee'.

He hit the ground running and ran straight into Rose. They ended up in a pile on the floor with Lance looking down at them.

"What are you doing here," the Doctor asked as he got up and helped Rose to her feet.

Lance lifted the fire extinguisher slightly. "Fire warden," he said with a grin.

There was a roar from the top of the stairs and all three looked up to see Khysssh Shhrysshk glaring down at them. Fortunately there was not enough room for him to flex his wings so he had to run down the stairs.

"Call my mother a damp match would you!" he said as he prepared to belch another fireball.

Lance pointed the extinguisher and pulled the trigger.

Nothing happened.

Khysssh Shhrysshk grinned and spat fire, except he didn't. You could see the gas ripple in the air, but there was no fire.

Rose and Lance looked on, open mouthed. They should have been toast.

The Doctor saw their faces and then grinned. "Didn't I mention that they emit a fire dampening force field? What were you expecting, water, powder, foam?"

Rose slapped his arm hard. "Don't you ever do that again!" she said angrily as they started running again.

They were halfway down the hallway when a group of terrified servants came around the corner. They skidded to a halt. 'Damn' the Doctor thought, if he went that way they would all be killed by the Craigon.

Rose spotted her handmaiden Methanwy.

"Methanwy run," she called to her as they all screamed.

Khysssh Shhrysshk had come around the corner, his bulk filling the hallway. The Doctor opened the nearest door and pushed everyone inside. He rested his back against the door and fused it with the sonic. They were in Roses bedroom.

"Well, as usual, this isn't quite going to plan," he said. "I wanted to get him into the dungeon."

"Did you really call his mother a damp match?" Rose asked with a laugh.

"Yeah, you should hear what I said about his dad!" he laughed as he took off the helmet. The door pounded and the Doctor jumped forwards to join Rose and Lance, turning to look at the door.

The door lurched again. All three instinctively moved backwards towards the wall. There was a loud splintering bang and the door toppled forwards to land flat on the floor.

Khysssh Shhrysshk ducked and stepped into the room as Arthur came around the corner with Bedivere and Tristran.

"See the servants to safety," Arthur told them as he drew Excalibur from its scabbard.

"Sire, Lady Rose is in there with Lord Doctor," Methanwy told him.

Rose could hear the gurgling noise from his rumen that she had heard in his den. He was about to 'fire'.

She aimed the extinguisher and pulled the trigger as the air rippled. Khysssh Shhrysshk grabbed the extinguisher and pulled it out of her hands. Unfortunately the strap was around her neck and Rose went with it, straight into the arms of the Craigon.

Rose's back was against the belly of the Craigon, a powerful, scaly, muscular arm around her waist held her off the floor. She could feel the points of razor sharp claws at her throat.

"Well Time Lord, you may be difficult to kill, but I'll wager this one isn't" Khysssh Shhrysshk growled. He looked at Lance. "Drop the device."

Lance looked at the Doctor who nodded for him to comply. Lance took the strap from around his neck and dropped the extinguisher to the floor. They both saw Arthur peep around the door frame to assess the situation and disappear again.

"So Doctor, my father couldn't light a barbecue with a fart?" Khysssh Shhrysshk hissed with venom in his voice.

Even being in a life threatening situation, Rose spluttered as she suppressed a laugh.

"You will suffer for that Doctor, you will see the skin stripped off your precious lady here and then I will deal with you."

Arthur leapt through the doorway and thrust Excalibur into the side of the Craigon's chest. Khysssh Shhrysshk swished his tail and knocked Arthur across the room, his sword clattering across the floor and ending up under the bed.

As Khysssh Shhrysshk instinctively reached to feel the wound, he dropped Rose to the floor who screamed as she fell.

Going down the stairs, Methanwy heard Rose scream and turning, pushed past Tristran and ran back to the hallway. She ran to the doorway and skidded to a halt, looking into the room.

She saw Rose lying on the floor with the dragon standing over her. 'The dragon has killed her' she thought.

"ROSE!" she yelled.

Khysssh Shhrysshk, surprised by the sudden entrance belched and roared a jet of flame which engulfed Methanwy and killed her before her charred body hit the polished, oak floor.

"METHANWY!" Rose screamed as she saw her charred corpse on the floor.

She looked up at the Craigon who was grinning at his handy work.

Rose had what the Doctor called the 'Jackie Tyler' look on her face.

"YOU BASTARD!" she yelled with all the anguish and venom in her body.

Khysssh Shhrysshk ignored her and headed for Arthur, swatting the Doctor and Lance out of the way. He stood over Arthur and prepared to stamp him through the floor.

Rose looked down at the bed and grabbed the heavy blanket and cast it like a fishing net at the Craigon's head. It covered his head and he stopped to try and pull it off, it was catching on his crest scales.

As Rose had grabbed the blanket it had uncovered Excalibur and she saw it reflecting the candlelight.

"DOCTOR!" Rose grabbed the sword and slid it hilt first towards him.

The Doctor leapt into a forward roll, grabbing the sword and rolling into a sitting position under the Craigon He thrust upwards and buried the sword deep into his abdomen. The room filled with the stench of bad eggs.

Khysssh Shhrysshk roared again and grabbed the Doctor's shoulders, lifting him off the floor, opening his mouth wide to bite the Doctor's head off.

Lance picked himself off the floor and leapt into a double footed flying kick, catching Khysssh Shhrysshk's lower jaw and spinning his head around. Lance landed on top of Arthur and grinned at him. 'Harkness would have loved this' he thought to himself.

The Doctor was thrown across the room, crashed into the wardrobe and crumpled into a heap on the floor. Khysssh Shhrysshk turned and saw Arthur and Lance entangled together. This was his chance to finish them.

Lance got to one knee and protected the King. He could see blood seeping from the stomach wound and smell rotten eggs. Suddenly his thoughts were crystal clear and he had a plan.

He quickly reached inside his jacket and found the shiny metal object he was looking for, part of his survival kit. Khysssh Shhrysshk menacingly approached, gathering himself for a final attack.

Things seemed to happen in slow motion. Lance brought his fist from inside his pocket and punched it through the wound in Khysssh Shhrysshk's underbelly. The Craigon looked stunned.

In his cheesiest Australian accent Lance said. "Time to light the barbie!"

With his hand inside the rumen, he flipped the lid on his trusty petrol lighter and ran his thumb down the flint-wheel.

The windows in the room blew out with a deafening 'BOOM' followed by a damp 'SPLAT' as bits of Craigon covered the room.

Rose pulled herself from under the blanket that had landed on her after the Craigon had thrown it off its head. She scrabbled over to the Doctor's motionless form and cradled his head on her lap.

"Doctor?" she whispered, stroking his unruly hair. "Doctor!? Don't you go an' die on me! Don't you dare go changin' again!" She was crying now, tears rolling down her cheeks. "Don't you dare go an' die on me! Not now! I've got to tell you," her voice caught in her throat. "Tell you that I..."

"Rose?" he breathed. He reached up and caressed her face, wiping the tears with his thumb.

"I'm here," she laughed and cried. "I'm here." She hugged his head fiercely.

"Help me get to the TARDIS, I need the medi-bay," he told her.

She kneeled and put her shoulder under his armpit and they staggered across the room to the door. Arthur and Lance were unmoving, either unconscious or dead. They didn't know. The Doctor took in the scene of devastation.

"Blimey! The cleaners are going to be pissed!" he laughed and immediately winced. "Ooh, cracked ribs. No laughing, definitely no laughing."

They made it to the TARDIS medi-bay and Rose helped him lie on the examination couch. The couch came to life and started beeping and pinging as various robotic tools and implements attached themselves to the Doctor. An oxygen mask fitted itself over his face. A gold mist started to envelope his body as the nano-genes started to repair his body.

Rose went back to the other room and found that Arthur was trying to extricate himself from under Lance. She grabbed Lance's lapels and started to drag him across the floor. Arthur grabbed his knees and lifted him off the floor.

"Where are we going?" Arthur asked her as they struggled through the door.

"TARDIS medi-bay" she replied.

"Rose, I have a confession to make." He smiled at her. "I understand less than half of the things you and the Doctor say."

Rose had a fit of post-stress hysterical giggles, knowing what was coming next.

"What the fuck!" Are the very un-royal words that came out of Arthur's mouth when they entered the TARDIS.

"Gadzooks!" is what Rose heard; as the TARDIS thought that this language was a bit choice for a young ladies ears.

The Medi-couch lowered itself to the floor so that they could easily lower Lance onto it. As with the Doctor, after the couch had risen, it sprang into action and started to repair his body.

A green anti-burn gunk was sprayed on his face and his burnt right hand was placed in a plastic container of the same gunk.

Exhausted, Rose looked over at Arthur. "Fancy a cup of tea?" she asked him.

"I don't know, do I?"

"Oh, that's right, you haven't got tea yet have ya. I wonder if it'll cause a paradox thingy if I make you a cuppa. Oh, who cares? I need a cup of tea."

The Doctor woke up and looked over at Rose. She was sat in a chair and had her feet up on the couch, grinning at him over the top of her mug.

"Howya feelin'?" she asked him.

He looked at the display above his head. "Apparently I'm alright."

"Here y'are then." She handed him a mug of tea.

He took it off her and had a sip. "Aaaahh." He looked over to Lance who was still asleep. Arthur was sat the other side of the couch enjoying a mug of tea.

* * *

It was first light and the servants had started to clean up after the night's activities. Tradesmen were repairing the doors. Rose watched with tears in her eyes as Methanwy's charred body was placed on a wooden stretcher and carried away.

One of the handmaidens wailed and collapsed to her knees on the floor. Rose walked over and kneeled down beside her putting an arm around her shoulders.

"Did you know Methanwy?" Rose asked her.

"Yes m'lady, we're came from the same village," she said between sobs. Rose pulled her into a hug and they both wept.

"My name is Rose," she told her gently. "I'm not a m'lady. Methanwy wouldn't call me Rose, thought she'd lose her position. But I wanted her to, and now she can't." She wiped a tear from her cheek.

"Tell me about her, I want to know everything about her. Everything about a woman who was so courageous and yet was afraid to call me Rose." She was looking up at the Doctor who stood there in silence. His face showing all the usual pain of a Time Lord who could not save everyone.

* * *

Lance was out of the medi-bay and healing well. The nano-genes had fixed up most of his injuries. The burns would take a bit longer so he had his right arm in a sling and bandages on his hand.

He had been summoned to the throne room along with the Doctor and Rose, by command of King Arthur.

Arthur and Guinevere sat on their thrones in front of the assembled court, the knighting-stool in front of them. The ceremonial sword was in its stand by the side of the stool.

"Ladies and gentlemen, today I have the great privilege to confer the honour of knighthood upon a man who demonstrated great courage, fortitude and presence of mind under extreme duress. His action not only saved Camelot and the City of Legions, but also saved my life." Arthur picked up the sword.

"Lancelot, please come forward and kneel before your King," Arthur commanded.

Lance stood and walked forwards to stand before Arthur. He knelt on the stool and Arthur touched his right then left shoulder with the tip of the sword.

"Advances Chevalier au nom de Dieu," Arthur said solemnly. Lancelot stood and Arthur hugged him gently. The assembled guest applauded and cheered as they left their seats to congratulate the new knight.

Rose hugged him and kissed him on the cheek. The Doctor grinned and slapped him on the back.

"So you two are on your way then," Lance said. "Leaving me here to my fate."

"Hey, you're the one who came here on your own volition, and you need to be here to throw Arthur's sword in the lake when he dies."

"Does that really happen?" Rose asked excitedly.

"Why not? The rest of the legend has been fairly close, and we can't have an alien sword lying around, now can we?" the Doctor said smiling.

"Tell you what Lance, before I put the Time Agency out of business, I'll get them to come and pick you up if you like," the Doctor told him.

Before Lancelot could answer, a guard called to him. "Sir Lancelot, the apothecary is here with your healing remedy."

He screwed up his face making Rose laugh. A young woman entered the throne room carrying a tray and placed it on the table.

She had curly, black shoulder length hair and beautiful green eyes. She wore a pale green dress with a white apron, and a white scarf head dress.

Lance looked at Rose and the Doctor, grinned and looked back at the young woman. She was pouring a dark green liquid from a bottle into a goblet. She brought it over to Lance and he gave her a smile that made her blush.

As he took the goblet, his fingers touched hers and held the contact for a little longer than he should have.

"What is your name apothecary?" he asked with a silky smooth voice.

"Gwyneth Sir," she said, unimpressed with his attentions. "You must drink it down in one go," she told him.

He smiled and knocked it back. He immediately stuck out his green tongue, gasped and shuddered. The Doctor and Rose laughed at the expression on his face.

Gwyneth put a small spoon into a jar on the tray and scooped up the contents. She put the spoon in his mouth and closed his mouth by pushing his chin up.

"Mmmmm, strawberry jam, you should have given me that first," he told her.

She looked at him slightly seductively and said. "Maybe next time."

"He definitely knows Jack!" Rose said laughing as he walked over.

"Don't be too eager to send the Agency to get me, will you?" he said with a grin.

Arthur and Guinevere strolled over to say goodbye as Rose's phone started to ring.

"'Scuse me," she said as she took the call. "Hi Mum, how are ya?"

"What magic is that?" Arthur asked the Doctor in amazement, pointing at Rose's mobile phone.

"No magic Arthur, just a complicated machine that allows Rose to speak with her mother over a distance," he explained.

"Remarkable!" Arthur exclaimed.

"Mum, stop cryin' an' tell me what happened," Rose said.

"Well, Arthur, Guinevere, we will be going soon. Thank you for your hospitality," the Doctor said.

"Elton? Who's Elton when he's at home?" Rose said.

"Our hospitality seems inadequate for the service you have provided us," Guinevere said in earnest.

"He was usin' you to get to the Doctor! I'll kill 'im." Rose had her 'Jackie Tyler' face on.

"Er, I think we'd better be going now, bye." The Doctor grabbed Rose's arm, waved at everyone and headed for the door.

"He had a photo of me? I'll bloody kill 'im! No one upsets my Mum!"

**The End**


End file.
